The Mage Princess
by Sailor Berkeley
Summary: Princess Serena Serenity, widely known as the Mage Princess, has problems. She refuses to marry, her mother is trying to set her up with a Jovian Prince, her High Mage rank is being put into full use by a nameless enemy, and she is in love with someone sh
1. Prologue

Hey everyone! Just a few things to say before we get on with the story:  
This is an alternate reality universe... however, I use the Moon  
Kingdom in the story and, if you haven't guessed, the ending is not the  
same... in other words everyone doesn't die in the way they did in the  
series, etc... I always wanted to do a story with magic and here it is.  
I used the North American names, even though I hate the dub, because  
I actually like them better when I write about the Moon Kingdom. Hope  
you enjoy the Mage Princess! And send me an e-mail if you do!  
  
A few disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon... if I did I would be  
publishing these stories because I would have enough money to do so...  
I'm also an extremely poor college student who has to rely on her  
scholarship to pay off the registration fees so don't sue me... you'll  
get nothing out of it! One more thing: Washi is my character... I made  
him up so don't steal him, okie? ^^  
  
I guess it's on with the story!  
  
The Mage Princess  
  
PROLOGUE  
By: Sailor Berkeley  
  
* * ~ ~ Serena ~ ~ * *  
  
Today I turn twenty-four and officially become and old-maid; in  
my mother's eyes at least. All attempts at getting me to marry have  
failed and she will, once more, tell me that I'm hopeless. Of course,  
I really don't mind. I know she loves me and that she only wants what's  
best for me, and to her a husband is exactly what I need. It's worse  
on birthdays because she is reminded of how old I am getting and of the  
fact that I am no closer to marriage than I was at sixteen (the age all  
girls are supposed to get married in our Kingdom) when I told my mother  
that I was never going to get married. I still remember the way she  
blanched and the small thud that echoed through the throne room when  
she fainted; not something I could ever forget since I am constantly  
reminded of it. She tried everything in her power to get me to change  
my mind. Of course her first words were:  
"Why? Aurora Nebula Serena Serenity I will not tolerate such  
selfish comments from you. What about your Kingdom? Does it mean  
nothing to you? And your subjects? Who will rule after you? And what  
exactly are you planning to do?"  
"I have thought it out completely, mother, and it all works out  
perfectly. I am not getting married because I want to become a true  
mage. It is what I have always wanted and what I hope to become. I have  
learned the ways of Court and I know how to rule so I won't give up my  
title nor the Crown - that is if you still want me to have it. And as  
for an heir, I will just teach one of my many cousins to rule after me.  
It has been done before and nothing bad has come out of it."  
"Yes it has been done before, but only when there was no chance  
for an heir. You, however, are young and able to bear children. An heir  
is not an impossibility for you."  
"But it is an impossibility, mother. It's impossible because I  
refuse to get married. If I am not married I cannot give this Kingdom  
an heir. And I cannot be forced to marry as you well know so there  
really is nothing to be done. If you want me to give up the Crown I  
will do so. My wish is to become a High Mage."  
As soon as she saw how adamant I was about this, my mother  
changed tactics rather quickly.  
"Sweetie, do you realize how difficult it is to become a High  
Mage? And how dangerous? I understand that you are exceptionally good  
at magic but have you thought about the fighting? You need to learn how  
to fight as well. High Mages learn how to wield swords and how to go to  
war. Do you really want to learn all of that?"  
"Yes, mother. I really do."  
Queen Galactica Nebula Serenity Serenity - Serenity XIV as she  
was known in her kingdom - stood up and cupped my face in her hands.  
My extremely large blue eyes looked into soft blue ones full of love  
and wisdom and my mother, Queen of the Moon, sighed, her soft blue eyes  
showed her defeat. "Of course I will not deny you the throne. I could  
never do such a thing. I just want you to be happy."  
"But I will be happy mother. As a High Mage."  
"And you are sure that is all you want? Are you completely sure  
of this Serena? Because it is a hard life if you choose it. A very hard  
life. It is not something to take lightly."  
"I understand mother. I want that life." I remember trying to  
look as courageous as possible and not let a doubt enter my eyes. I  
guess I was succesful because she just sighed once more and kissed my  
forehead in cautious defeat. I let out my own sigh once my mother left  
me alone. I could not believe she had let it go so easily.  
She hadn't.  
  
I left for Mage training the following month and every time she  
wrote me a letter I got to hear about some prince or another who was  
absolutely perfect for me. My responses contained nothing but love and  
tidings. This has been going on for the last 8 years but today the  
letter will be read to me in person as will my response be given in  
person. I am finally going home. After eight years of hardship and  
training I am going home.  
Now don't get me wrong, I am glad of my accomplishments; I  
am very happy. But sometimes, late at night, I go through what I have  
dubbed "What Ifs." Why do I go through this? Well it's quite simple,  
actually: I once wanted to get married. Like most little girls I  
dreamed of my knight in shining armor who would come for me and make me  
live happily ever after.  
And he came for me once.  
  
I was six-years-old and I had been playing with my friends the  
Princesses of the planets Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus when we  
first got introduced to the Prince of Earth. Being the little mage I  
was (even at that young age), I was concentrating on the small solar  
system I had been building for weeks when I felt someone staring. I  
looked up and met the darkest set of blue eyes I had ever seen in my  
life. His dark black hair fell over his eyes and he pushed it back with  
his hands and smiled at me. The most beautiful smile in the world. I  
smiled back, slowly.  
"That's very impressive. Did you build this by yourself?" I  
nodded slowly and watched, shocked, as he sat next to me and promptly  
started asking me questions. I soon learned that he was only on the  
Moon for the day and would be going back to Earth soon. He was ten, and  
to me the most perfect candidate for my knight in shining armor. I was  
very outspoken so I told him so, adding that I wanted to marry him when  
we were older. He just smiled once more and produced the most beautiful  
flower I had ever seen from thin air (I later found out they were  
called roses and that they only grew on Earth) and handed it to me.  
"Next time we meet be sure to show it to me. And I will dance  
with you." He winked at me and left me completely in love.  
I did not see him again until I was thirteen and he seventeen.  
By then my childhood dream had faded a bit but I was still in love with  
the boy I remembered. The rose he had given me refused to wilt and  
looked just as beautiful as when he had first given it to me. I was not  
faring so well. You see, I am just not a beautiful person. I am not  
even remotely pretty - and I especially was not so at the age of 13.  
My closest friends and peers were beautiful. There was Princess  
Raye Hera of Mars who had the most beautiful black hair and violet eyes  
that I had ever seen. She had this mysterious look about her that  
intrigued everyone she met. She would walk into a room and everyone  
would watch as she came in. Princess Mina Dione of Venus had gorgeous  
blonde hair that shone in the light and sparkling blue eyes that were  
always full of laughter. She was so bubbly and light that no one was  
ever glum in her presence. Princess Lita Rhea of Jupiter had the most  
magnificent set of emerald green eyes and a tall figure that drew  
attention no matter where she was. Princess Ami Maia of Mercury had  
blue hair that she kept extremely short but that perfectly complemented  
her small face and large blue eyes. She was extremely intelligent and  
was already being noticed by the older boys. Then there was me.  
I had lackluster dirty blonde hair that was extremely limp and  
lifeless. I tried to do everything to it but nothing would make it  
better. My eyes were much too large for my face and made me look very  
unproportional. I was plain, lanky, skinny and extremely clumsy. My  
feet were too big for my body and my hands were constantly knocking  
things off tables. To top it all off I had yet to get my first Lunar  
cycle (or period if you will) and I was as flat as the day I was born.  
I had nothing. Not even a little lump to tell people I was a girl. The  
other Princesses had all developed at eleven or twelve and were  
"filling out" rather quickly.  
I normally did not care for my looks, but when I found out that  
Prince Darien Endymion of Earth was coming for the next ball I  
suddenly found myself staring at all of my faults. My mother tried to  
assure me that she had been the same way and that she hit puberty very  
late (something about the Silver Crystal's effect on our Lunar cycles),  
but I was too upset over my natural homeliness to even care about it.  
Even if I had hit puberty I was still plain. My friends, my mother and  
the court would never admit to it but it was true. And it pained me.  
Nonetheless, I spent the entire day before the ball getting  
ready and attempting to look as beautiful as I could; for my Prince was  
coming for me. I even put his rose in my hair so that he would  
recognize me and perhaps tell me that he too loved me and that he  
wanted us to marry as soon as I was of age. How naïve I was.  
  
The first hour of the ball I danced with uninterested partners  
who only asked me to dance out of courtesy to the Princess of the Moon  
and heiress to the entire Silver Millenium Court. After that no one  
asked me to dance anymore. I was accustomed to this since I realized  
early enough that my beauty could not compare with the other Princesses  
but I still became quite depressed (which is why I hated balls) over  
that fact. This time, however, all I could do was watch and wait for my  
Prince to come. I looked all over the room for his dark patch of hair  
or a glint of blue and kept away from my mother who would have tried to  
get people to dance with me and just embarrass me further. Finally I  
saw him.  
He had turned out so handsome! I let out a small gasp as his  
intense blue eyes turned and fell on me. Childhood fantasy turned into  
a fullfledged reality and I realized that I loved him more than ever.  
Not really because of his looks - I had been hurt enough by my looks to  
care what anyone else looked like - but because when I looked into his  
eyes I met a caring and wonderful soul. Someone who was wise, respected  
and sweet. I don't know exactly how I managed to get close to him or  
how long it took to get past all of the drooling girls around him but  
next thing I knew I was standing face to face with my dream. He looked  
at me and gave a small smile of... relief?  
"Would you like to dance?" He asked and I just took his hand  
and we twirled around the ballroom as I stared at his hand holding mine  
and reminding myself that this was really happening, that I was really  
dancing with him.  
The song was over too soon and he gave me a smile as he led me  
to the edge of the dance floor. He kept my hand firmly in his and my  
heart was beating quickly. When he finally reached the edge he lightly  
kissed my hand. When his eyes looked up into mine I felt something jolt  
in me. Sparks flew. I still can't explain what it was that I felt. I  
looked deep into his eyes to see if he felt it too or if it was just  
me. I couldn't tell. I had never looked into a man's eyes that deeply  
before and so I saw nothing that I could understand. As an instinct,  
and subconsciously, my mind reached out to his.  
I had been trained in magic since the age of six. If I was  
to wield the Silver Crystal I had to be able to understand magic to an  
extent. No one thought I was going to get so attached so quickly. Magic  
was easy for me. I understood the way it worked and all of its unspoken  
rules before anyone explained them to me. It was second nature and I  
loved it. My mother, not one to deny me pleasure, allowed my lessons to  
proceed longer than was necessary and very soon I surpassed my  
instructors. That was when Washi came to the Moon Kingdom. News had  
travelled the lands and it was soon known that the young Moon Princess  
was a very gifted Small Mage. The Council of High Mages sent its  
highest ranking Mage to the Moon to evaluate me and determine whether  
or not I should be taught further. Washi, his long pink-tinged hair  
flowing behind him, took one look at me and his gold eyes widened  
slightly. My lessons started immediately. I learned how to produce  
objects from thin air, how to throw fire, manipulate animals, teleport,  
make illusions, control weather and other minor things that were not  
at all related to war (my mother's only rule that was followed very  
strictly in my mage apprenticeship). The one thing I learned that could  
be used in times of war, but not necessarily for that fact - which was  
why Washi taught it to me - was how to read emotions and understand  
feelings simply by connecting to a person's mind and reading their  
aura.  
Which was what I was doing with the Earthling Prince. Everyone  
has a different aura. An aura has a distinct smell and feel and his  
smelled of roses and felt like the velvet of rose petals. I closed my  
eyes and mentally inhaled that sweet scent. I smiled at this and opened  
my eyes only to see him chuckle softly at me.  
"Have you seen enough, Mage Princess?" I blushed slightly and  
wondered how he knew that I had been peeking. I did not notice the  
smaller girl who had appeared next to him.  
"Darien!" He looked away from me and his eyes glowed with love  
and he smiled broadly before picking up the girl and twirling her  
around. My eyes showed my pain but neither of them were looking at the  
moment. The girl was beautiful beyond words. Her hair was as black as  
ebony and her eyes were the deepest green. She was graceful and petite.  
And looked to be the Prince's age. And she used his name. They were  
close to each other. When my Prince gave her a peck on the cheek and  
she swatted him away playfully I could take no more. A single tear made  
its way down my face and fell on the ground, unnoticed. I summoned my  
power and made myself disappear. A moment later I was in my bedroom and  
I fell asleep crying. He had never loved me, I was a fool. So I made a  
promise to never marry as my heart broke into a thousand pieces.  
  
It's been eleven years since that day but I still love him.  
Which is why I could never marry anyone else. And why, at the age of  
sixteen, I told my mother I wanted to become a High Mage. There was a  
bit of truth to that. I did want to be a High Mage. It was one of my  
most heartfelt wishes. But I did want to marry. I just couldn't marry  
the one I wanted.  
I don't know what happened to Prince Darien Endymion and I am  
glad of that. I don't want to hear that he ended up happily married  
with that girl. It would break my heart once again. So I never spoke of  
that love to anyone.  
My room here at the Academy is now empty, all my belongings are  
currently neatly packed in boxes and waiting outside for me to teleport  
them and myself back to the moon. I look around once more and blow the  
room a kiss before closing the door. I take the plaque that was on the  
door and put it in my cloak. I make my way outside, through the   
hallways and stairways and say goodbye to everything as I go. The only  
person left to say goodbye to is outside with my things. I smile sadly  
as Washi turns around, his golden eyes proudly looking into mine.  
I give him a large hug and feel the tears threatening to spill.  
He takes my face in his hands and gives me one of his rare smiles.  
"I am so proud of you, Mage Princess. You have made the last  
years a pleasure."  
"Thank you, Master Washi." I whisper and he shakes his head.  
"Not Master anymore. You're a Master now. I am now just Washi  
to you. Or... you know what else you can call me, when you are in need  
of help..." I nod. On the day of my graduation he told me his true  
name. Not the name his parents gave him, that one he himself forgot.  
The name that the magic in the world had given him. The name that is  
whispered to a Mage when he or she first takes a life. It is a solemn  
and dark name. One that must never be spoken aloud unless the need is  
very great. When a Mage's true name is spoken he or she must go help  
whoever is calling. And he or she becomes blackened and evil until the  
danger is passed. It was something Mages had to live with. A Mage was  
always stepping on the fine line between evil and good... it was the  
price one needed to pay to be a Mage.  
"I will call if I am in need." I gave him one last hug and  
took the plaque from my robe and handed it to him. "Please accept it."  
He looked at the small plaque and his eyes showed surprise.  
"Are you sure, Princess?"  
I nodded. "I can't think of anyone else in this Institution  
who should have it."  
I then turned around and, as is my way of teleporting, gave off  
a soft light before disappearing with my things. Leaving behind my  
Mage-self, Kou, and the plaque that made me a mage and was the tie  
between me and the Institution. A plaque that read in small letters:  
"High Mage Kou: The Phoenix Spread Her Wings"  
For I was Kou, the Phoenix, here. And now I was once again  
Serena Serenity of the Moon. And yet I was both. Now and forever.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
That's it for now... Chapter one will be coming out soon if people tell  
me that they like it! Please tell me if you do! I love getting e-mails!  
Please e-mail cfmc@uclink4.berkeley.edu with your thoughts! Ja ne! 


	2. Chapter One

Konichiwa minna-san! Well here's the first chapter just for you! I got  
so many wonderful comments and positive e-mails this week that I felt  
that I had to write this chapter as soon as possible! Thank you SOOOOOO  
much to everyone who wrote! I really loved getting your e-mails! I know  
that most people have busy schedules... so this means a lot to me! I  
hope it lives up to everyone's expectations... I feel like I might  
disappoint people. I hope not! One more thing! When you see a name  
surrounded by * * ~ ~ then that means that the story will be told from  
their point of view! Just wanted to clear things up a bit! ^_^ Please  
tell me whether or not you like it!  
  
I would like to thank Lady Suna for drawing such a beautiful image of  
the Mage Princess! It's a really good drawing and I liked it a lot!  
Thank you Lady Suna! If you want to see it here it is:  
http://www.fanaticsmworld.com/highmagekou.jpg  
  
A few disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon... if I did I would be  
publishing these stories because I would have enough money to do so...  
I'm also an extremely poor college student who has to rely on her  
scholarship to pay off the registration fees so don't sue me... you'll  
get nothing out of it! One more thing: Washi is my character... Hou is  
also my character and I guess that Kou is my character too since she is  
so very different from Serenity ne? ~.^ Anyway I made all of them up so  
don't steal any of them, okie? ^^  
  
I guess it's on with the story!  
  
The Mage Princess  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
By: Sailor Berkeley  
  
* * ~ ~ Serena ~ ~ * *  
  
I blink a couple of times to get rid of the soft white light  
that surrounds me and look around my room; the room I had left so long  
ago and never given it another thought. I had missed it though. I  
missed the feeling that the Moon gave me. The magic on the Moon is so  
different from the magic of Angreemon, where the Academy is located and  
where the Institution has its meetings. In Angreemon the magic is heavy  
and hangs off yours shoulders - almost smothering in a way. It is so  
thick that it seems visible at times and makes it hard to breathe if  
one is not used to magic; which is why only mages live on Angreemon. It  
used to be called something else. A long time ago it was called Daruja.  
I smile slightly. Daruja was such an imperfect word to describe the  
small green planet. Daruja, in the old language, means dull and boring,  
and Angreemon was everything but. It was well known to play jokes and  
to change its scenery so that the Pasamages (people who cannot use  
magic) would get lost and wander around for hours, even days. As soon  
as the Institution found Daruja it changed the name to Angreemon.  
Angreemon. Full of life.  
I look all over the room but avoid looking at the dresser.  
There's a mirror on the dresser. As an instinct my power finds its way  
to my hands and forms a ball of ice-fire. I catch myself before I throw  
it and therefore break the mirror. Mirrors made me uneasy even when I  
was a child but now, as a Mage, they were completely unwanted. Mages  
are not allowed to own mirrors or to look into them. Mirrors make  
people vain. They force one to think about outward appearance, and that  
is a horrible thing for a Mage. High Mages, especially, must never  
worry about their outward appearances because it makes us clumsy in our  
magic. It neglects the very important inner-self. The outer self  
matters not at all. A mage's inner appearance dictates his or her  
capability as well as how magic will obey his or her commands. If a  
mage is worrying about outward appearance then he or she will stop  
concentrating on the inner-self. And magic could care less about what a  
mage looks like - it only cares about what the mage can do. So mages  
cower away from mirrors and keep themselves beautiful in the inside.  
That is also why Dark Mages are obsessed with mirrors and are usually  
very beautiful - they attract dark magic.  
However, I am now a Princess again, and a Princess must look  
good for her Kingdom. I sigh, exasperated. Washi had warned me of this.  
He just told me not to spend too long in front of a mirror. As if I  
would do that. I look away from the area where the dresser is. I can do  
that afterwards. I'll just put my dress on first and then look my  
dreaded enemy in the face. I take off the red and gold tunic that I  
wear as Kou and put on the white and gold dress that Serena Serenity  
wears. I notice that it is tight across my bosom and that it is about  
four or five inches too short. I frown slightly. I had last worn this  
when I was sixteen, but I had not noticed that I had grown.  
Closing my eyes I concentrate on getting to that state between  
sleeping and waking and find, in a small corner, the white light  
fringed with red and gold that is my power. I dive into it and am  
instantly surrounded by magic. It's comforting and friendly. I then  
concentrate on making my dress longer and making it fit the exact way  
that I want it to. I can feel my mental hands moving over the dress and  
everywhere they touch the fabric responds and moves here and stretches  
there. One particular stitch is stubborn and refuses to move. I frown  
and my mental hands tug sharply and the stitch moves after a second. I  
see all of this happening in slow motion and it is beautiful. The dress  
turns the same white color as my magic and becomes warm and embracing.  
The magic flowing around me and commanding the cloth to move is almost  
like a dance. Ribbons of white light dance around me and the gold and  
red beams play in my dress, turning it different colors. It's like  
meeting old friends. My hands make the magic respond and it flows  
through them as if it would escape, reminding me, as it always does,  
that it only does what I tell it to because it likes me. My hands stop  
moving and the magic circles me and I hear a tinkling laughter before  
it engulfs me and returns to that small corner in my sleep-wake state.  
It was laughing at me for doing something as silly as fixing a dress.  
"Well!" I say aloud, indignantly, before opening my eyes,  
momentarily feeling sad that I had to leave my laughing magic. Of  
course it was always in me, but I missed it nonetheless. "Much better!"  
I say to myself as I see that the dress fits perfectly once more.  
Any Pasamage watching me would have thought that I had just  
closed my eyes for two seconds at the most and that when I opened them  
the dress had changed instantaneously. People who can't wield magic  
have no idea how much planning and time it actually takes to perform  
spells - even minor spells such as the one I had just accomplished. It  
isn't easy and it takes a lot of energy. Mostly because working with  
magic slows time down for the mage and, though it might look like a  
couple of seconds to anyone else, a spell can take days to perfect.  
I then turn around and walk towards the dresser with my eyes  
closed. When I feel the hard edge hit my thigh I stop and gather my  
thoughts as my magic expands and tries to get rid of the object that  
was causing me so much worry and pain. My magic, because it is like the  
Phoenix, is very overprotective of me and tends to get rid of things  
that I don't like without consulting me. Which is why it takes so much  
of my effort to hold it all in me.  
I stop and wait for the Houou, as I call my magic from time  
to time, to calm down. Houou means a Mythical Phoenix and that's what  
my magic is: A Phoenix made just for me. As soon as my inner-self  
settles again and the turmoil subsides the Houou stops and retreats,  
acknowledging me as Master once again. I take a deep breath and open my  
eyes slowly. Then they snap open and I gasp. It couldn't be.  
I walk around the mirror and look to see whether it is made of  
only glass and does not contain any silver lining. I find it to be a  
real mirror - silver lining and all. I raise my hands to my face and  
the image in the mirror returns the gesture. Slowly my lips curve into  
a very ironic smile. I couldn't believe that the person in the mirror  
is really me. She is pretty.  
Her hair is vibrant and looks gold-spun. Her face has grown  
around her eyes and, although they are still large, they now look nice.  
She definitely is not flat-chested and she is quite tall enough for her  
legs and hands. Nothing is disproportionate.  
My ironic smile is placed on her lips as well and I almost  
laugh at myself. The thought that I went through so much because I was  
a homely child and now I became quite pretty, as my mother had told me  
I would, was quite ironic to me. But I sigh and just put my hair up in  
the odango-style that I hadn't worn in eight years. It didn't matter  
anymore. Whatever I looked like had no effect on anything since my  
Prince was gone and who did I want to impress? My mother? I smile at  
the thought and instantly feel better. My fear of the reflected girl is  
gone as the Houou calms down and realizes that I'm not about to  
become a Dark Mage just for looking into a mirror.  
I'm Kou, the Phoenix, once again as I gather my power to  
teleport to the front door where my mother and my friends are expecting  
me. My magic happily dances around me and I can almost hear its sigh  
of relief as the red and gold become more vibrant - as if welcoming me  
back and trying to make me forget the girl in the mirror.  
"She's not important." I hear the Houou whispering to me and  
I smile to myself.  
I take one more look at the girl before I teleport and give her  
a superior smile. She is not Kou. And she doesn't have the Houou living  
inside of her. As I leave I see that she doesn't return my smile as  
confidently as I gave it. And then she is replaced by the soft light of  
my magic.  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Queen Serenity ~ ~ * *  
  
  
I'm quietly awaiting the arrival of my only daughter and, on  
the outside, I look the perfect image of serenity. I know this because  
I have practiced it so many times. Inside, however, there's a tempest  
of emotions wreaking havoc on my mind.  
I mentally give a sigh. Eight years without my daughter has  
made me an edgier person. No one has noticed, of course, but I find  
myself stopping my mouth before my mind snaps out things that I do not  
mean. Not having her nearby has taken its toll on me. She was always my  
light and happiness. Especially after Aeris died. Her golden hair  
always reminded me of him and her cheerful eyes and smile were all I  
ever needed to make my day a bit brighter.  
I should have never let her go. But I could never deny her  
anything she really wanted. The other planets frowned upon me and  
declared me a bad mother for allowing the Mage Princess to gain all her  
powers. In truth, I hated that name: Mage Princess. I wanted to lash  
out whenever anyone said it aloud. She has a name! Serena Serenity! Is  
that so hard to say? But I would never say that aloud. Instead I  
protected her and allowed her to develop her Mage skills and supported  
her in everything she wanted to do. And I encouraged her. Overly  
praised her and made sure I saw everything she did with magic - no  
matter how small the spell or how many problems she encountered.  
So I really can't complain. I made her become the person she is  
now. Sometimes, though, late at night, I wonder if I should have just  
said no and kept her locked up forever and forced her to marry. But  
then I realize that I would never do such a thing and that I could  
never hurt her in such a horrible way. She deserves everything she has.  
And, most importantly, she is happy. So I am too. Almost completely  
happy, that is.  
She doesn't know this, but I tried everything in my power to  
get her and that Earthling Prince together. They met when she was six.  
That was my planning. I sent him to the garden that day because I knew  
that she had just been working on a miniature solar system. It was a  
beautiful spell.  
The Sun actually gave off heat and, if one looked closely  
enough, the gaseous Jovian planet actually contained small lightning  
storms and all the planets circled the sun in their perfected orbits.  
Each planet had the correct number of moons and everything was measured  
precisely and scaled down. I knew she was extremely proud of it and she  
had told me that she was just going to add some asteroid showers to it  
the morning that the Earthling Prince arrived. I had heard from his  
mother, Queen Gaia, that he was extremely interested in magic and that  
he had just started some lessons. I knew then that he would like it.  
So I sent him to the garden that day and left the rest up to  
fate. It worked so well. When she came back she was shining and happy  
and showed me a beautiful red flower, the rare rose that only grows on  
Earth. She treasured it. I knew she was too young to be in love; but I  
saw potential there. So I held it off. And noticed that she kept the  
rose by her bed and that, when I went to give her a good night kiss,  
she would reach for it before she fell asleep and caressed its silky  
petals.  
When she turned thirteen I saw the perfect opportunity for a  
ball and made sure to invite Prince Terrence Titan Darien Endymion of  
Earth. I will never forget that day. It was the day I thought my  
daughter would be happily married as soon as she was of age. However,  
it all went terribly wrong.  
  
Serena spent the entire day in her bedroom, trying to look as  
beautiful as possible. I knew she thought herself plain. I thought the  
same thing too, when I was her age and first met Prince Solaris Levin  
Aeris Apollo, and fell in love. He was so handsome and I was such a  
plain girl. All women from the line of Serenity go through this. When I  
turned seventeen I suddenly grew and took on my woman's form. It only  
took about two weeks for me to change completely. In two weeks' time I  
grew six inches and filled out all over, losing my baby fat and growing  
hips and showing a waist and, finally, I remember thinking, some  
breasts. So I knew what Serena was going through and I helped her in as  
many little ways as I could. I knew she was looking forward to seeing  
Endymion. Of course she would never tell me such a thing - she was  
always like her father in that respect - but I felt it. Mothers feel  
things about their children that are inexplicable. And I felt this very  
distinctly.  
My daughter might have been plain, but her eyes held such  
emotion and love in them that it was hard not to notice such beautiful  
twinkling orbs. And that was how Endymion first noticed Serenity.  
I had been trying to get him to look at her, but the swarm of  
girls around him was growing by leaps and bounds and I felt helpless.  
"Luna?" I called softly, knowing that the feline woman was  
never to far away.  
"Yes, Your Majesty?" She noiselessly made her way to my elbow  
and awaited my instructions silently.  
"I would like you to do something for me." I stopped a second.  
If she had any objections she would say something. She stayed silent.  
"The Earthling Prince, the dark haired one, make him notice Serena."  
I could feel her smiling and her eyes lit up at the challenge.  
"Of course, my Queen."  
She left my side and made her way through the crowd of girls to  
the Prince's side. I watched as he turned around and looked behind him.  
And he saw her. He sat there for a long while as he met her cerulean  
eyes and stood paralyzed as she came to him. The crowd parted for her  
and she slipped her hand in his as the next song started right on cue.  
And of course that was also my doing.  
I smiled and waited for Luna to come back to me. She returned  
to my side within a few moments and, my curiosity getting the better of  
me, I asked her what she had said.  
She laughed her feline laugh and I almost saw her tail appear  
as she felt so happy. She quickly became a full human once more and  
stopped laughing long enough to slip out four words: "The Earth looks  
beautiful." I then smiled a genuine smile. Luna really was a very  
ingenious cat. She had made him look towards my daughter because she  
was standing next to the windows, but she had given nothing away.  
The whole room was watching as the two danced. A match appeared  
to have been made and Queen Gaia and I even shared a look as our  
children seemed so engrossed in each other. And then, as suddenly as it  
had begun, it was over. My daughter disappeared - one of her magic  
tricks no doubt - and the Prince was speaking to another girl so he did  
not notice.  
I left the ballroom then and stopped outside Serena's room. I  
pressed my ear to her door and heard her sobbing her heart out. I put  
my hand on the handle before I stopped myself. I couldn't ask her what  
was wrong. Not now. She was too upset over it still. So I sighed and  
left her to herself.  
  
The next three years flew by and I never asked her what had  
really happened. She never spoke about it, and she seemed happy. I  
wasn't as shocked as she thought I was about her refusal to marry. I  
knew she still loved the Earthling. But there was not much else I could  
do. He had apparently started to travel and was rumoured to have a  
bride. I allowed her to go to Angreemon, but I still hope that one day  
she will marry a man who loves her as much as she deserves to be loved.  
So I look for eligible bachelors for her and wait for her to  
come home so we can talk all of this over and see if it can get sorted  
out. I don't know how exactly this will happen. All I know is that I  
will not pressure her to tell me. I will wait until she comes to me.  
But today she is coming back home. And the Silver Crystal is  
glowing more than ever to welcome her back. She really did have a knack  
with magic. More like a Gift.   
I see the soft light that starts to grow in front of the steps  
and I smile. She is here. Her white light is now fringed with red and  
gold, which is something new to me, and I can sense, with the little  
bit of magic that I can wield, that it has grown stronger since the  
last time I saw her. I see the Silver Crystal glowing on the Moon  
Scepter in my hand and its light shoots into the red and gold and they  
play with each other for a moment.  
I'm not very knowledgeable in magic, my daughter knows a lot  
more than I do, but I do know that each mage's magic has a certain  
personality and that each planet carries magic that also has its own  
mind. So when a mage arrives at a planet, or returns to one, the two  
magics mingle for a while, to approve of each other, before returning  
to their respective separate entities. But since my daughter is  
Princess, and will someday wield the Silver Crystal for herself, the  
Crystal leaves a bit of its magic behind and I can sense it as it gets  
incorporated into my daughter's red and gold magic.  
Then the lights are all gone and there stands my only child. I  
cannot help it. My eyes fill up with tears of joy and I leave my   
scepter behind as I run to her and hold her in my arms. She returns my  
hug just as fiercely as I give it.  
I revel in the moment. It had been too long since I had held  
her in my arms. And how I had missed it. Mothers should never have to  
let their children go. It was so painful to us.  
"Oh, how I missed you!" I whisper in her ear and hug her even  
tighter.  
"I missed you too, Mother. I'm happy to be back."  
I then put her at arm's length and look at her for the first  
time in eight years. She was beautiful. And her hair was just like her  
father's. As were her eyes.  
"You are so beautiful. You look just like your father." I see  
her smile happily. And I know she isn't smiling because I told her she  
is beautiful. She is smiling because I said she looked like her father.  
"Thank you. I always did want to turn out like him."  
I nod slightly and remember as Aeris held his first child on  
the day she was born. I remember how delicately he handled her and how  
his eyes were filled with awe and love at the life he held in his arms.  
The two of us fell asleep in his arms and when we woke up he  
kissed me lovingly and told me that never had anyone given him such a  
precious gift and that, if it were possible, he loved me more than he  
ever had before.  
He only enjoyed his Gift for four years. I shiver as I recall  
the horrible day he was taken from me.  
"Mother?" I look back into her eyes and snap out of my reverie.  
I smile reassuringly at her and her eyes lose the worry she had  
been feeling at my lapse. I suddenly feel like I must ask her this one  
thing. No matter how strange it might sound.  
"Serena, are you truly happy?"  
She looks taken back and gathers her train of thought after a  
moment. "Y... yes, Mother. I have everything I have ever desired." I  
search her eyes and notice the small amount of pain there and know she  
is lying. She was still in love with him. Eleven years had passed and  
she still thought about him. I made up my mind right then and there  
that I would find someone else for her so she could forget him. And be  
happy again.  
But I smile and pretend I don't know she is lying. "Good." I  
say and notice her relief as she believes I did not perceive her  
falsehood. "Now come, your friends are waiting to see you. They have  
been looking forward to this day for years! We must not keep them  
waiting."  
She smiles and we rush up the stairs. I stop long enough to  
pick up my Moon Scepter, which I had left so carelessly on the floor. I  
then walk hand in hand with my daughter into our home.  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Mina ~ ~ * *  
  
  
Princess Rei Hera of Mars stood up for the twelfth time - I was  
counting - in the last twenty minutes and paced nervously before  
resuming her seat again. I watched, and decided that if I weren't so  
nervous myself, I would find this scene very amusing. The Martian  
Princess had never shown any feelings of apprehensiveness in her life,  
so this was something new to me. Princess Lita Rhea of Jupiter was  
mechanically clenching and unclenching her hands as she waited, her  
eyes clearly expressing her feelings of impatience. Princess Ami Maia  
of Mercury looked the most calm of us all - her nose being stuck in a  
book as usual - and I was almost fooled; but then I saw that the book  
was being held upside down and that she hadn't even noticed it.  
As for me, well, I was acting just as nervous, I must admit. I  
had started to bite my nails. A very bad habit, I know, but one that my  
mother has had no success in eliminating. I watched as Rei got up once  
more - thirteen, I said to myself - and began to pace. This time she  
didn't sit back down because Ami closed her book so forcefully that it  
echoed throughout the small room and the three of us jumped.  
"This is ridiculous!" She exclaims. "Serena is our friend! Why  
are we so worried?"  
We all looked at each other and wonder why, indeed, we are so  
nervous. Serena had always been our friend so she always would be,  
right? At least that's what I kept telling myself before I start to  
bite my nails once again.  
"Well, yes." Rei, the most mysterious of the Planetary  
Princesses - except for Pluto perhaps, starts with a little  
uncertainty. "But she is so powerful now. Last time I heard from Karasu  
he said that she had been invited to hold a very important position in  
the Institution. And not only any position, but the position of  
Zen'yokuhikouki."  
We all stand silent for a moment as we take the news in. Karasu  
was Rei's younger brother. He had gone to Angreemon three years after  
Serena left and he had always been the one to keep us informed on her  
doings. That was also the first time we had heard Serena was Kou, the  
Phoenix.  
She had written to us all, she still does, but she never talked  
about her magic. She was always modest and hated to praise herself. So  
we were so surprised when we heard. Mages keep the names of birds and  
each bird represents a certain degree of power. Washi, Serena's old  
Master whom we had all had a crush on in the past, was the Eagle and  
Karasu was the Crow. His real name was Ares, but he had become Karasu  
when he went to Angreemon.  
The Phoenix, however, was considered one of the highest birds  
that a mage could aspire to be. And Serena was Kou - the Female Phoenix  
- and she was, of course, very powerful.  
"Zen'youkuhikouki?" Lita asks, a little confused.  
"The highest honor for a mage." Ami supplies us with her more  
than abundant knowledge. "It means Flying Wing in the old language and  
is only given to a High Mage who has defeated the current  
Zen'youkuhikouki in a Mage Battle." Ami stops as she realizes what she  
had just said. That meant that our Serena, our small Serena, had  
defeated the most powerful High Mage alive. I gasp and notice that Rei  
had started pacing again.  
"Ami, if that was supposed to make us feel better I don't think  
it succeeded very well." I say, a little upset.  
She blushes, and for a second looks like the twelve-year-old I  
remember who would always be shy and apprehensive about everything. She  
had become a very mature woman and was a great leader in Mercury. "Ummm  
I'm sorry. It doesn't mean anything Rei! It... it's just that..." I'm  
surprised as I notice that Ami is speechless. Never have I seen her so  
powerless with words!  
"What is happening to us?" I say, taking up my role as leader  
once more. "We just need to calm down. It's just Serena. She grew up  
with us! It doesn't matter that she has become one of the most powerful  
mages in the universe! She is still our Serena!"  
"Of course I am." We all turn around abruptly as we see that  
she had been standing in the doorway for a while now. She walks in and  
we can't help but notice that not only had she grown beautiful, but she  
was also confident. Her head was set purposely and her eyes shone with  
a wisdom that we could never have.  
Suddenly my apprehensions grew and I felt even more nervous  
than before. She was so confident and even us, who could only use our  
respective planets' magic and were only considered Noohane - No Wings -  
Mages, could feel the power that she carried and the magic around us  
seemed to be attracted to her and gave her a little glow.  
But then she smiled and held her hands out to us. And there  
stood our Serena again. Our playmate. The one we used to run around  
with, who got in trouble with us, who was our friend.  
I saw Rei put her hands in Serena's and the two just stand like  
that for a second before Rei smiles widely and the two hug. The three  
of us then rush to her and we take turns hugging her and welcoming her  
back. We all sit down on the floor, not giving another care to our  
dresses, and suddenly we are fourteen again and I almost feel like  
talking about the latest ball and the handsome boys and the latest  
gossip. I know that they all feel that and we smile at each other.  
"We have missed you so much Serena!" Lita suddenly says and  
Serena smiles.  
"I missed all of you too! I am so happy to see you again! And  
I'm dying for news! Gossip! Anything! It's been so long since I've been  
among girls my own age and I've missed it. Sometimes, when I was  
desperately homesick, I even missed the balls."  
At that we all laugh. Serena hated balls. She couldn't stand  
them. For her to say such a thing meant a lot to us. As the night wore  
on and we talked about our lives and things that she had missed out on,  
I noticed that she kept quiet about her own doings. I guess she didn't  
want to be reminded of her Mage skills so soon. And we didn't ask her  
about it either. She would tell us eventually.  
So we enjoyed the day and when we were ready to retire she  
gives each of us a hug and holds our hands one more time before smiling  
and going to her own room.  
I stand there as Lita and Rei both leave and watch the door  
that she had disappeared into, reminding myself that she was really  
here. The Princess we had sworn to protect - not that she needed it, I  
remind myself - and whom we had befriended when we were each five years  
old was back. And I couldn't help but feel content.  
I feel Ami leaning her head on my shoulder and I smile.  
"When are you going to tell her?" I ask.  
She blushes once more and I feel like laughing. "I don't know.  
I don't want to make her sad." We all knew about Serena's love for the  
Prince Darien Endymion. She always felt she hid it so well. But we had  
known each other for twenty years. We could read her like a book. And I  
am from Venus afterall. I live with love.  
"Well you must sometime... and I'm sure she will notice the  
rings eventually." Ami holds up her left hand and looks at the three  
silver bands around her first finger, the Mercurian symbol for an  
engagement. I notice her smiling and know she is thinking about Zoicite  
and the fact that he was coming tomorrow. I myself am happy because all  
the Generals will be coming. Including Kunzite. I sigh. "And at least  
Zoicite proposed... Kunzite is so formal and polite I'm afraid he never  
will."  
She then laughs and I feel like there's something she knows  
that I don't. Before I can ask she says good night and leaves the room.  
I leave after her and walk to my room. In front of the door I  
see Serena. She gives me a smile as I walk to her.  
"Is something wrong?" I ask.  
"Oh, no. I just wanted to reassure you that... well... although  
I am the Zen'youkuhikouki I will never stop being Serena. And that I  
will never ever forget our friendship. So don't ever doubt that."  
I smile then, giving her a tight hug and look into her eyes.  
"You don't have to worry about me, Serena. I feel love, you  
know. And I know that you love all of us. I can feel it."  
Her smile widens at that and she hugs me tightly. "You have  
always comforted me Mina. Thank you."  
She then takes my hand and I can feel the magic being drawn to  
her and her face adopts that confident and powerful look once again as  
she concentrates. I know that this is taking some time for her. I might  
only be a Noohane but I am not a Pasamage. And I know that spells take  
time. But only a second later, for me at least, a small golden pendant  
is sitting on my hand. The symbol of Venus. I can feel its power in my  
hands. I look up at her and my eyes ask her what it is.  
"It's a channel. When you want to talk to me, or any of the  
girls, you just have to concentrate on it and will it to find us and we  
can all speak to each other. No matter how far away we are. It will  
also tell you where I am. Or where Ami, Lita and Rei are. I have given  
each of them a channel as well."  
I stare at the pendant and notice that it is drawn through a  
golden chain. I put it around my neck. It's practical, but she made it  
pretty too. So it only looks like a normal necklace. A link to a High  
Mage is a very powerful thing and so I know how important of a gift  
this really is. I give her a tight hug and watch as she walks down the  
hall and back to her own room.  
I clutch the small pendant in my hands and sigh. I could tell  
she still loved the Prince. I'm lost in my own thoughts when I suddenly  
hear an extremely large noise, as though the Moon itself were cracking.  
I run down the hall to Serena's room and see the other girls  
there. We close our eyes and there is a small ripple in the air as the  
four of us transform.  
I feel the golden light of my planet around me and the heart-  
shaped chains of light surround me and engulf me. It's like being  
embraced by love. I see the light forming the Senshi uniform around me  
and I open my eyes as my tiara appears and twinkles in the hallway.  
In the hallway stands the four Planetary Senshi: Mercury, Mars,  
Jupiter and Venus. I try to open the door but it's locked. Jupiter  
sends her Jovian lightning to it and it explodes. We rush in and gasp  
at the sight.  
Serena, no, Kou, is floating fifteen feet up in the air. Her  
golden hair had broken free of her odangoes and was currently spread  
all around her. She is dressed in red and gold robes, the sleeves hang  
around her in a flurry of colors. Her eyes are closed and she glows  
white with the magic she is controlling. There are red and gold strands  
of light flowing around her, encasing her in a circle, and making her  
hair turn red then white then golden once again. For a moment the light  
looks like fire and I see that the red and gold rays are actually part  
of the Phoenix's tail and that the Phoenix is flying around its master  
in a circle. Then the image is gone and Kou is once again alone with  
her magic. Her eyes open abruptly and I notice that they are now  
completely blue and have no white in them. They are powerful eyes; the  
pupils so large that they took over her eyes - she now only sees magic  
and is blind to the rest of the world. They are eyes to be feared. And  
they show anger. I feel sorry for whoever dares get in her way.  
Suddenly she closes those unnatural eyes and the circle  
disappears from around her body. I watch as her body is still for a  
second and then collapses to the floor. Mars runs and catches her  
before she strikes the ground. We look at each other and our eyes show  
our worry. What in the name of Venus had just happened?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ooooh cliffhanger! hehehe Sorry peeps but I just had to do it! Chapter  
two will be coming out soon! Please tell me if liked this chapter! I  
love getting e-mails! Please e-mail cfmc@uclink4.berkeley.edu with your  
thoughts! Ja ne! 


	3. Chapter Two

Wow! I wrote the second chapter! Aren't you excited?! *grin* I have  
received a record number of e-mails and would like to thank everybody  
for their support! Because of you the Mage Princess is still alive... I  
seriously was not going to write anything past the Prologue and now I  
can't seem to stop writing... especially after the threats... hehehe  
must keep writing! ^___^ Of course I don't mind... I enjoy writing and  
this will most likely be my favorite chapter because Hou is going to be  
introduced... who is Hou you ask? Well keep reading and find out!  
Anyway I really had to think hard about Hou's character and am proud  
that he now has a very well-developed personality, if I do say so  
myself! As usual, please write if you enjoy the Mage Princess... I LOVE  
getting e-mail and I always respond. It might take a few days but I  
will get around to it... eventually. ^^  
  
To all readers who have e-mailed me:  
  
I'm so sorry I took so long in writing this... I went to my parent's  
home for the first two weeks of summer and did not have my computer  
there. I'm back now and can write as much as I did before. So here's  
the second chapter and hopefully the third will be out next week.  
  
For all those interested: This series will probably be about 8 chapters  
long. So expect more! ~.^  
  
A few disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon... if I did I would be  
publishing these stories because I would have enough money to do so...  
I'm also an extremely poor college student who has to rely on her  
scholarship to pay off the registration fees so don't sue me... you'll  
get nothing out of it! One more thing: Washi is my character... Hou is  
also my character and I guess that Kou is my character too since she is  
so very different from Serenity ne? ~.^ Anyway I made all of them up so  
don't steal any of them, okie? ^^  
  
I guess it's on with the story!  
  
The Mage Princess  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
By: Sailor Berkeley  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Lita ~ ~ * *  
  
  
I feel the crackling deep inside of me and the lightning flies  
between my fingers, keeping my entire body electrified. Nothing better  
touch me when I'm like this; it would get fried within minutes. I throw  
the sparks that have been gathering in my fingers and watch as the  
moving target is destroyed. The trainees who are helping me look  
impressed, and normally I would feel content. But not today. Serena is  
still asleep and has made no visible signs of awakening. The Queen has  
set up guards outside her doors and had almost set them inside the room  
before the four of us stopped her.  
We didn't think that Serena would appreciate waking up under  
the stern gazes of Royal Guards. So we are taking turns watching her.  
Rei is currently in the room and the way we have been acting for the  
last ten hours had people all over the castle jumping as soon as we so  
much as walked into a room. I sigh. I know it's not fair to the rest of  
the people in the castle. The fact that the Senshi had not left yet was  
worrying them, I could tell.  
I don't want to become Princess Lita Rhea again, though. I  
don't think that I can go around without my powers at the moment. I'm  
too edgy and the electricity running through me calms me down and keeps  
me from throwing things against walls. I leave the training grounds and  
watch as the servants slither by without looking at me. I know they all  
like the Jovian Princess, but not the Jovian Senshi. The Senshi have  
always made people restless and I am most definitely not an exception.  
I am well known for my physical combat and my short temper. I  
chuckle lightly. Princess Lita Rhea was always sweet and traded cooking  
secrets with the Palace Staff while Sailor Jupiter was feared and  
avoided by all the people I normally spoke to. It became quite  
frustrating to me at times. But I can't worry about that now. Princess  
Serena Serenity is more important.  
I start walking towards the gardens to think when I feel a hand  
on my wrist. I instantly feel the lightning gather but stop myself when  
I look into a pair of blue eyes.  
"Nephrite." I look at him for a couple more seconds before he  
embraces me and kisses my hair, as he enjoys to do.  
"I missed you." I murmur my content as I feel his strong arms  
around me and know that he would never ignore me just because I was a  
Senshi. "How is Princess Serenity?" He asks.  
I pull myself out of his arms and look at him, my eyes full of  
unshed tears. Not tears of sorrow, he knows that. They are tears of  
anger and frustration. "I don't know. She hasn't woken up yet. I feel  
so useless." A tear leaves a trail down my face and he catches it on  
his finger before it can fall.  
"Never. My Lita, useless? I don't think so." He smiles and I  
instantly feel better. It's not fair. Why is it that he can just smile  
and make my life wonderful? It shouldn't be that way. Should it?  
He then takes my arm and we walk together to Serena's room. At  
the door he kisses my lips softly and draws away with a sigh. "Go to  
her. She has woken up."  
I nod. I don't need to ask how he knows. Nephrite knows the  
present better than anyone. That is his Gift. His magic. He is a  
Doushi. The present whispers secrets to him.  
He leaves me then and I walk into the room to find that all the  
girls are already there. They look at me and I see that Serena has just  
gotten up and is sitting on her bed, deep in thought.  
In a second we are all powered down and huddled around her bed,  
hoping for answers. I wonder how she can look so full of life after  
casting a spell as strong as the one she had cast. I am not sure  
exactly what she had done, but I had felt the amount of energy that was  
expelled when she released her power. It was enormous. And I would have  
needed at least two weeks of sleep to get to half my optimum  
performance level after such an ordeal. Yet here is our small Serena,  
ready to take on the world after only ten hours of sleep. I think about  
the absurd amount of power she must harvest within herself but shake  
myself free of my thoughts when she starts to speak.  
"I can imagine you are all wondering what happened last night."  
She begins, her eyes warm and caring and I shiver, thinking about the  
cold and powerful eyes I had seen last night, and the contrast between  
them.  
"Of course we are! For the love of Mars, Serena! We were so  
worried!" Rei starts her usual rampage and we all roll our eyes. Back  
to normal.  
"I know, Rei. I know you were worried. So let me explain." We  
all smile at the soothing effect of Serena's voice. She always knew how  
to calm Rei down. Jadeite is the best for that, though. One look from  
him and she stops right away. We always make sure he is around when  
something dramatic happens. Calming Rei down is our number one priority  
at times. Serena's forehead glows and a gold crescent moon appears and  
twinkles once before settling itself on her skin. Her blue eyes twinkle  
as she reaches into our minds.  
I can feel the soft white light of her magic, the red and gold  
wisps appearing every now and then, enter my mind and for a second I  
can completely see into her mind and the first thing I notice is the  
constant love she feels for Prince Darien Endymion of Earth. Then, as  
suddenly as her mind had opened, it closed. I am transported into her  
memories and I see images of the Inner Planetary Senshi, the Outer  
Senshi, the Princesses, the Mages, and Queen Serenity flash before me,  
too quickly for me to observe what context they are all under. One  
image steadily grows clearer and larger until I am in it. I am looking  
at Serena's room. It is night time and the soft breeze made the  
curtains billow in softly.  
I - no, this isn't me. This is Serena. It takes me a moment to  
get used to the way Serena's mind is made up. And I am sitting in it.  
Images flow by as I - no, Serena - look at different objects in her  
room. I realize that they are memories. She sighs and I see and, in an  
unexplicable way, understand that she is desperately trying to get on  
with her life and forget Darien Endymion but that she can't. Their  
minds are linked. Their memories are linked. Serena and Darien. Darien  
and Serena. They are one being. Two parts of a single soul. Before I  
can dwell on this, however, Serena's mind stops its wandering suddenly  
and all images stop floating by as she locks her attention on the white  
curtains.  
I have enough of my mind left to myself to realize that I would  
never have seen what she saw. I know who is standing there only because  
her mind whispers it to me and we are almost as one being in this place  
where time has no meaning. One image looms before me and I see another  
room. This place is not the Moon. It's a room in Angreemon - Serena's  
mind whispers this to me. There is a man standing there. High Mage  
Narcis. That is his name. I know this and Serena knows this. His back  
is to me and I cannot see his face. His hair, however, is black as  
midnight and almost seems like it holds its own fire - that is if hair  
can do that. His shoulders are wide and his stance demands recognition.  
I can tell he is handsome. But nothing prepares me for what I see when  
he turns around. His face is perfectly chiseled. Nothing mars his face  
and he seems almost made of marble - a perfect statue made, not born.  
His eyes, though, are cold. I shiver - or I think I do since I  
do not have a body. And Serena does not shiver. I am so busy admiring  
this man that I do not notice, at first, that Serena's mind is  
repulsed by him.  
"I see that you have finally followed your name, Narcissus." I  
have never heard Serena sound like this. But I guess that's how she  
presents herself to other Mages. Her voice is powerful and carries a  
slight edge to it. This edge rings of steel and fire. She says his name  
with disgust. As though she cannot wait for the word to leave her  
mouth.  
The eyes that I had noticed were cold grow even colder. "Kou.  
How nice of you to join me. I thought no one was allowed near me now.  
Or haven't you heard that I am contagious?" His smile is sharp and his  
teeth look like daggers to me. How could Serena not be afraid of this  
man?  
"Contagious?" She laughs. But the sound is hollow. "The Phoenix  
is never contaminated. Not by the likes of you. Even Dark Magic cannot  
stand up to the fires that rage within me. You know that. I know that.  
This brings us to why I'm here. They want me to kill you." I look at  
Narcissus and see that Serena is thinking of him before he became a  
Dark Mage. When he was still Narcis and his face was not perfect. It  
was alive then. And had faults. And could smile and show happiness. I  
pity him. And I'm not sure whether it's me who feels this pity or  
Serena. "I will not kill you."  
It is his turn to laugh. "You mean that the great Kou - the  
great Zen'youkuhikouki - is going against the entire Institution for  
me?" He bows mockingly. "I'm honored."  
Serena takes all of this in and calmly turns around and heads  
towards the red door. "You know how to leave Narcissus. So leave." She  
doesn't even turn around as I see a green light surround her. She is  
chanting in her mind and I see the Phoenix, Houou, surround her - and  
me - in its wings and sending its fire towards the Dark Mage. I hear a  
cry of pain and want to see what is happening but Serena does not turn  
around. She keeps walking and goes out the door. She seems perfectly  
calm but only I can see her vision is slightly blurry. The tears are  
threatening to fall.  
I am suddenly back in Serena's room.I look at the white  
curtains again and see the slight bulge in the air that had told Serena  
she had a guest.  
I know - because Serena knows - that he is about to attack. I  
can see the green light snaking its way towards me when Kou appears.  
Serena and Kou are as separate as two beings could be when they are  
trapped in the same body. Of course Serena likes Kou - she wouldn't  
allow her to exist if she didn't, I knew that much - and was Kou in her  
own way. But the power that surrounded Serena - the soft glow that came  
from the Moon - was intensified and crackled with energy when it was  
transferred into Kou.  
The Houou appeared again and Kou told it to lift her. I don't  
know exactly how this is happening - I am only Noohane afterall - but  
I do know that what seemed like hours to me took about a second in the  
outside world.  
I don't know how she did it but suddenly the Moon gives her the  
extra power she needs and the Phoenix uses this to surround her with  
it.  
Her forehead glows with the golden crescent moon and she throws  
the power she is holding onto the Moon's surface where it races, faster  
than my lightning ever could, towards Narcissus. The attack that she  
had anticipated from him never came. He had used that energy to  
safely transport himself away from the range of her attack - which  
would surely have killed him - and to send a message to her.  
"Be careful, Zen'youkuhikouki. This is a warning. You will lose  
all that's dear to you."  
Kou opens her eyes and I see his magic leave the room. Only one  
thought goes through my mind:  
"If looks could kill..."  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Hou ~ ~ * *  
  
  
"Damn, damn, damn. Damn you, Kou! What the hell did you think  
you were doing? Sending off so much energy like that! Damn!" The last  
word is said a little too loudly and the two guards standing at the  
door slit their eyes at me. My mutterings are one of a madman - at  
least that's what I've been told. I am far from being mad; though I  
tend to mutter a lot when I am upset.  
As soon as I had felt her power emanating from the Moon I had  
teleported myself into this very same castle. Into this room where the  
guards had kept me prisoner. I almost smiled; as if anyone could keep  
me. I allowed them to do this because I did not want to seem hostile. I  
could easily do away with them. But I don't. No matter how worried I  
really am.  
I brush away my red hair from my eyes and frown. This is really  
taking too long. I know she's awake. I always knew when she was near.  
Especially when she uses her power as she is doing at this moment. I  
have no idea what spell she is casting and the Houou refuses to tell  
me. She is in no condition to be casting spells. I know this as well as  
I know my own strength.  
I think about her long golden hair and blue eyes and smile. She  
is the most beautiful woman in the Institution, and even Mages have an  
appreciation for beauty. But the first Mage who had underestimated that  
petite blonde had his magic severely wounded for years as well as a  
very nasty scar along his brow.  
A worthy rival indeed. She became my enemy the moment I laid  
eyes on her. Hou and Kou. The first time in Mage history where two  
Phoenixes existed at once. Because of that we had not been allowed the  
usual name: Houou. She was Kou, the Female Phoenix, and I was Hou, the  
Male Phoenix.  
When she had defeated High Mage Taka, the Zen'youkuhikouki who  
was the only Hawk in centuries to be replaced by a female, I had been  
right there. And when she had to call on my powers and my help she had  
shared that title with me. We had always been equals. We admired each  
other but had always been rivals. And, sadly - or fortunately since I  
couldn't make up my mind about whether this was a good thing or not -  
we would always be.  
I turn around as the large double doors open and a woman with  
long silver hair steps through the large doorway. I refuse my urge to  
bow to her. It would never be appropriate. A Mage never bows to anyone.  
It just isn't done.  
"What do you want from my Court, Mage?" Her voice is calm and  
strong. I can tell she has been worried.  
"Your Majesty." I pause. This is where I'm supposed to bow. To  
show obeisance. My knees stay locked in place. She waits and one  
eyebrow rises slowly as she looks at me expectantly - amused in a way.  
"I am called High Mage Hou." I wait for a response in case she wants to  
offer one. She doesn't. "I am here to see High Mage Kou. She has just  
cast a very large spell and I need to attend to her immediately."  
"I'm sorry, High Mage Hou. My daughter is undisposed at the  
moment. I cannot allow you to see her."  
I sigh. This would never have happened at Angreemon. People  
knew that we were rivals, but they also knew that I was her biggest  
protector and they would never have detained me when my voice took on  
that certain tone. No matter. I could persuade her. And if that failed  
I would see Kou anyway.  
"No, I am sorry, your Majesty. I cannot take no for an answer,"  
before she can speak I continue, "I don't know if you know who she is,  
since I doubt she has told you. She is one of the Zen'youkuhikouki. I  
am the other one. She is not allowed to cast a spell of that proportion  
without me and if she did so there must have been a very good reason.  
I need to know this reason and I need to help her. She might seem  
perfectly fine but she is in great need of energy. Her magic is  
depleted. She might look very healthy but her magic - and her ability -  
is suffering."  
"And how would you know this?"  
"I know this because our magics are one and the same. So I know  
when she is in need of me and vice versa. I need to go to her." I stop  
and a faint smile crosses my lips. "She will be expecting me."  
The Queen of the Moon looks at me silently and I can almost see  
her brain attempting to work everything out. Finally she tilts her head  
in agreement and steps aside to let me out. I give her a relieved smile  
and barely nod. She is surprised. Mages usually do not even show that  
much obeisance to a person.  
I brush past her and head down the hallway, not waiting for her  
to show me where to go. I know exactly where I'm going.  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Serena ~ ~ * *  
  
  
I open my eyes and see my four dearest friends, the ones that I  
had grown so apart from and yet had grown closer to in these last eight  
years. It will take them a while to be used to their bodies again and  
to have their minds to themselves so I let them be for the moment.  
I am tired.  
That spell wore me out more than I thought it would have. I  
close my eyes once again and find the Houou quiet and subdued. His ruby  
eyes are currently closed as well and his wings are drooping. He is as  
tired as I am, I know. Of course his strength is greater than mine and  
the fact that I am made of matter and he is made of energy gives him a  
better chance at recovery. He would never die. I could.  
At that moment his head, which had been tucked behind his wing,  
raises and his ruby eyes glance up and behind me. Behind my spirit  
self. Only one person can ever disturb me in this place uninvited: Hou.  
So he came. I smile as my eyes open and I almost feel glad. At least  
some things never change.  
He steps through the door and is in the room looking as calm  
and collected as ever. I didn't realize how much I missed seeing him.  
How strange. How could I miss my rival?  
Rei gets up immediately but I put out a hand and stop her with  
a small smile. My head shakes and her muscles loosen though she does  
not sit down again. She is so overprotective of all of us. One of the  
reasons I love her so.  
I look away from the purple eyes that hold so much worry and  
meet Hou's red eyes. Suddenly I don't feel like putting up this front  
anymore. I can't pretend to feel perfectly fine in front of him. He  
knows how exhausted I really am. And it makes me feel better that  
someone knows.  
He walks to me and picks me up in his arms. He understands that  
I can't walk yet. I need his strength. In a strange way I feel secure  
in his arms. I sigh, content. I see Lita get up to protest and I shake  
my head.  
"It's alright. I am just very tired and I need to replenish my  
strength. He is here to help me."  
"Who is he?" Lita looks at Hou and I can almost see what she  
does. He looks, unlike me, just like the Phoenix should look. His red  
hair and eyes look as though made of fire and his tall frame looms over  
people and makes him seem powerful but graceful at the same time. Many  
of the female Mages appreciated his beauty. I really didn't care. He  
was my rival. But, most importantly, he was someone I could trust with  
my life.  
"This is High Mage Hou. He is my..." I'm at a loss. What is he  
to me anyway? I look at Hou and his eyes show amusement. No help from  
him that's for sure. I almost snort at that thought. He is enjoying my  
loss for words. "My twin. He is also the Phoenix. And he is also  
Zen'youkuhikouki. His magic is the same as mine so he can restore me to  
my optimal health. This is what he will be doing. Don't worry. I'll be  
fine when I come back. Expect me back sometime tonight."  
"But where are you going? Why can't he just help you here?" The  
first words Ami ever spoke were always the wisest questions that people  
only thought of asking after everything was done. Which is why she is  
such a wonderful person, and friend.  
"We are going to a safe area. To a place where there is water.  
Water heals better than anything else would. As for your other  
question..." I blush and feel like I'm thirteen again. "Umm... the  
method we use is very..."  
"Unconventional?" The deep voice reverberates in my skull as  
my head is laying on his chest.  
I look at Hou, glad that he has finally decided to speak. "Yes.  
Very unconventional." He has the grace to blush. Then the Houou  
surrounds us both and Hou's red magic transports us away.  
I then see that he has chosen a place that we had been to  
before now. We had come here after we defeated Taka. It was a beautiful  
and very quiet place. The slowly falling waterfall made music and I  
feel better just by being here.  
Hou sets me down and looks at me reproachfully. I stay quiet.  
He won't ask me any questions until I'm at my optimum level. And then  
he will be a pain and will not leave me alone for a single moment.  
Until then, though, he will be a perfect angel.  
"Are you ready?" He asks since he knows I always need to calm  
myself before doing this. It is a very personal ritual. One that I  
would normally not perform with anyone other than a husband. But one  
that I needed. I remember the first time we found out about it. I stop  
my blush before it can spread its rosy color across my cheeks.  
I was eighteen and Hou was... I stop when I realize that I do  
not know how old Hou is. I never asked. Strange. I shrug it off and do  
not think of it again. Images of that first time come back to me  
readily, though. We had just been attacked by a Dark Mage and Hou and I  
were caught right in the middle of the Mage War that ensued. The war  
took the lives of many Mages and weakened many. After it finished the  
magic in the place decreased. People had to sleep for weeks to regain  
their powers. Not Hou and I. I remember how we were not allowed to go  
to sleep and how very tired I was. After we had been kept waiting for  
about two hours Washi came in looking just as tired as I felt.  
"Hou, Kou." We both stood up and waited for Washi to gather his  
thoughts. "You are one of the few people in the universe who have ever  
had a... a... connection such as the one you have. But it has happened  
before. With other Mages. You both have the Houou raging within you so  
you can heal yourselves. You will not need to sleep for the weeks that  
I will need to sleep. You will only need about a day to get back to  
your full health."  
By that time I was listening, wide eyed, and unbelieving. Why  
had we never heard of this before? Hou looked at me with the same eyes,  
and we were afraid. If we hadn't heard of it it probably was not good.  
At least that had always been my experience. When Washi finally told us  
what we were to do I flat out refused. I was even foolish enough to  
allow the Houou to run free and, feeling my fear and anger, to burn  
down half of the Common Room. That made me even weaker and I finally  
agreed to it. It wasn't that bad only... it wasn't something we spoke  
about. It was...  
"Kou?" I look up, startled. I had forgotten where I was for a  
moment.  
"Yes. Yes, I'm ready." I answer and Hou picks me up once again  
and wades into the water with me in his arms. As we start the ritual I  
play back Washi's words in my mind, as I've always done.  
'You will need to find a pond, a small lake, something that  
holds a large amount of water. Go into this pond and stand right in the  
middle of it. You must be in the middle of the pond. This is very  
important.' I watch as Hou carefully looks for the raised rock we had  
put right in the middle of the pond the last time we were here. It was  
large enough to hold the two of us. He sets me down and my feet find  
the rock and settle there. I'm still too weak to stand up by myself but  
Hou is lightly holding me by my waist. The water is shallow enough that  
my upper body is completely free of water and it laps gently at my  
waist and the hands that are holding me.  
'You must then remove all clothing. No article of clothing  
should remain on your bodies. No jewelry. Nothing at all. This is done  
because your bodies, since they are made of matter, are constrained  
enough without the help of your clothes or other articles. You will  
then hold each other. And that's all I can tell you. I don't know what  
happens afterwards since I do not have a connection like yours and not  
a single Mage who does have such a connection ever wishes to speak of  
it. I wish I could tell you more.'  
I close my eyes and will my clothes to disappear. They dissolve  
into thin air and I am completely naked. When my eyes open Hou is the  
same way. We are used to this by now. Not like the first time. When we  
were embarrassed and young and unwilling to do this at all. He opens  
his arms to me and I go into them as willingly as I've ever done  
anything in my life. We fit so well. The Houou makes sure we do. As  
soon as this happens we look into each other's eyes. It's always the  
same. I have this impulse to look into his eyes. And I'm sure he has  
the same one.  
And then the pond turns into fire. The Houou in me meets the  
Houou in Hou - even though they are one and the same - and it becomes  
twice as large. It dances around us and sings softly. Its voice is soft  
and sounds like small bells. As it dances the waters slowly turn into  
flames. And we sit in the middle of all this, entranced, holding each  
other. Our bodies warm and becoming more alive by the minute. I can  
feel the flames seeping into my body and traveling along it. And they  
do not come from the flaming lake. That fire is cool in comparison.  
These flames that envelop me come from Hou himself. From the arms that  
surround me and from the chest I'm pressed against. Everywhere he  
touches me I feel the heat and the lake, to me, is cold as ice.  
As though we are impelled to do this, our lips meet in a kiss  
and the fire that comes from his mouth pours down my throat and fills  
my lungs and gives me life. I do not want the kiss to end. And when I  
know it must I become sad. We finally pull apart and look once again  
into each other's eyes and at that moment we are one. And at that  
moment, and only that moment, I forget that Darien Endymion is the man  
I love. I forget him completely and all I can think of is Hou. Then  
that moment is gone and we are once again two mages sitting in the  
middle of a pond. And I'm sad. Tears begin to well up in my eyes. That  
feeling of completeness, of wholeness, is gone. And it won't come back.  
And I'm once again High Mage Kou and Princess Serena Serenity. And I'm  
alone.  
It's not fair and I can't think of what has just happened. I  
need to get away from him. I need to be alone and cry the tears that  
threaten to spill. I need to once again be happy to be myself, to not  
be one half of the whole. I look into his eyes and they tell me he  
feels that way too. He understands. I throw myself out of his arms as  
though I'm repelled. And damn him. He understands.  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Hou ~ ~ * *  
  
  
I watch as she wades out of the lake and goes out to sit alone.  
And cry. She always leaves first. And I always watch her, my body still  
full of the flames she has given me and my eyes sad as I remember that  
one moment when she had given me her complete love. But she only did  
that at that one moment. Never again. She loves Prince Darien Endymion.  
Everyone knew that. But for that one moment I was the one who held that  
love. I remember the first time we had done this. I was overwhelmed by  
that love. It was all I could think of for years afterwards. It was all  
I ever thought of.  
I notice that it's about ten hours after the moment we had  
started. It had only seemed like ten minutes. Healing had the opposite  
effect of casting a spell. Because it returned power it sped up time  
while making a spell meant spending energy, thus slowing time down. I  
had always wished that I could feel the whole ten hours. That way I  
would have had more time with her.  
Tears are already falling freely from my eyes as I head out in  
the opposite direction she took. My clothes come flying back to me as I  
walk out of the pond. By the time I step out my clothes are all back on  
my body and I feel powerful enough to take on the universe. Because she  
had given me her love. Just for that one moment.  
By the time she is ready to leave my eyes are red and puffy and  
I have been crying for some time. I know she is ready to leave without  
her telling me because the small sobs are not coming from the other  
side of the pond. Healing was really a curse as well as a gift. I  
almost wish I did not have it. But then those four moments that I  
remember fondly would never have existed and I would suffer through  
anything to have those moments - as small as they were - with her.  
I compose myself and know I look perfectly normal on the  
outside but I'm confused and hurt in the inside. I turn towards her at  
the same moment she turns to me and we nod at each other. She will not  
allow me to touch her, or willingly touch me, for another week or so.  
And I will miss her.  
I disappear and we both end up in the same exact position and  
at the same distance from each other in her room where the four girls  
I had seen before - the four Princesses I correct myself - are waiting.  
As is her mother.  
Once we appear they look from me to her and finally I get the  
angry looks and the ones that tell me I'm really going to get hurt soon  
if I did anything that hurt their Princess. I guess they noticed the  
change in attitude.  
"What happened?" I hear the Queen's voice from behind me. No  
one had dared move since we appeared. Kou's eyes are purposely avoiding  
mine and I feel hurt, though I had expected it. I speak first.  
"Your daughter is back exactly as she was before last night. If  
you don't mind I would like to be shown to a room. I am..." What can I  
say? I'm not tired. I don't need any sleep. I need to be alone. "I am  
in need of some privacy."  
At that Kou's eyes snap up and gaze deeply into mine. The fires  
she had given me start to rage again and I want so desperately to hold  
her again and to feel that wholeness again. Her eyes are watering and I  
think mine are too. I can't be sure. All I see is Kou. And how sad she  
looks.  
I turn around at that moment and leave the room. I hear a small  
gasp escape her lips as she sees me leaving and I hear her throw  
herself on her bed and, all formality gone, start to weep again. I  
cringe and force myself to leave the room without looking back. If I  
look back even once I will run back to her and will not leave her. And  
she would have been upset the next day when my flames were not inside  
her anymore.  
They all leave the room after me and when the door closes to  
her weeping I finally look at their faces. They are not happy. "What  
did you do to her?" The one with the long black hair I knew was  
Princess Raye Hera of Mars, pointedly asks.  
"I healed her." I cannot say anymore. It is too private. It  
took me some time to understand why Washi did not know what happened  
when two "twins" - I almost smile as I remember that Kou used that word  
first - perform the healing rituals. It hurts. I would not want to  
share it with anyone. My eyes water once more. I believe they see this  
because they do not press me any further and the girl with short blue  
hair, Princess Ami Maya of Mercury I believe, shows pity in her eyes.  
The Queen steps forward and I follow her to a room down the hall. I can  
still see Kou's rooms from here and wonder if this was done on purpose.  
"Whatever it is you two went through," the Queen started and I  
look at her prepared to defend myself or Kou - no, she is Serena, I  
remind myself. "I just want you to know that I'm happy you are here."  
My jaw falls and I know I must look like a little boy as the  
Queen walks away. I knew there was a reason she was called Wise. I  
guess that demonstrated it.  
I walk into my room and notice that at that moment the Earth is  
a huge blue orb right in the middle of my view. I glare at that planet  
and feel like crushing it with my bare hands. No, not the planet. Just  
one man. Prince Darien Endymion. My hands form fists at my side as I  
think about the man who held the heart of the woman I loved. The only  
woman I would ever love.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
So what did you guys think of Hou? I love him to death! And before any  
Darien/Mamoru fans kill me I would just like to state that this in no  
way is against Darien/Mamoru. He is a great character. I just wanted to  
mess with the story line a bit and see what happens... I mean I know  
what's going to happens but you don't! hehehe I'm evil! ~.^ Chapter  
three will be coming out soon! Please tell me if you enjoyed reading  
this chapter! I love getting e-mails! E-mail me at  
cfmc@uclink4.berkeley.edu with your thoughts! Ja ne! 


	4. Chapter Three

This is an extremely short chapter and I would like to apologize ahead  
of time. I've been extremely busy moving my domain to a new host and  
have not had time to write. On the other hand you should be happy  
because chapter four will be extremely long. And very very emotional  
with lots of action. So wait for it! Oh and Darien is in this chapter!  
YAY! Now you get to find out where he's been... but still be confused  
since I hate giving too much away at once... am I evil or what? ^___^  
  
So here, finally, is the third chapter! I'm really enjoying writing  
this story and am very happy that people are e-mailing me about it! If  
I don't receive e-mails I don't feel inspired... I'm just weird that  
way! ^^ I've gotten a lot of questions involving Hou ending up with  
Serena or Endymion doing so. The number one question is whether or not  
I know who she's going to end up with and the answer is yes. I know  
who Serena is going to end up with. Will I tell you? No. That would  
ruin the story. And there are various plot twists that you cannot see  
at the moment that will make you doubt who Serena should end up with  
even more. Also, I'm very happy that people are giving me advice! It's  
nice to know that you care about my story enough to participate in it.  
Just don't get angry with me if I don't exactly do what you had in  
mind. The story is finished already (in my head) and, unless your idea  
is SO good that I cannot pass it up in any way shape or form, there is  
a very small chance that the storyline will be changed. Just wanted to  
get that over with before I got any threatening e-mails! ~.^ Anyway  
enjoy the story and, please, keep writing!  
  
For all those interested: This series will probably be about 8 chapters  
long. So expect more! ~.^  
  
A few disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon... if I did I would be  
publishing these stories because I would have enough money to do so...  
I'm also an extremely poor college student who has to rely on her  
scholarship to pay off the registration fees so don't sue me... you'll  
get nothing out of it! One more thing: Washi is my character... Hou is  
also my character and I guess that Kou is my character too since she is  
so very different from Serenity ne? ~.^ Anyway I made all of them up so  
don't steal any of them, okie? ^^  
  
I guess it's on with the story!  
  
The Mage Princess  
  
CHAPTER THREE  
By: Sailor Berkeley  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Serena ~ ~ * *  
  
  
I feel much better today. I wake up with a vague memory of that  
moment Hou and I shared and put it out of my mind at once. It was nice,  
actually more than nice, to share that with Hou, but it was not my life  
and that was what was important. I faltered as I got out of bed. What  
was important anyway? My heart whispered the name of Endymion to my  
head and my mind retorted with a simple question: Why?  
Why indeed. I don't know the answer myself. Why do I place such  
importance, and so much of my heart, on this man that I had only met  
twice? A man I haven't seen in eleven years and who probably has not  
given me another thought?  
I stand in front of the mirror and frown at the perfect face  
that I see there. When did the change happen? When did I suddenly  
become beautiful? And why hadn't it happened when I was thirteen and  
had met the Prince of my dreams? A small sob escapes my throat and I  
glare at the woman in the mirror. Why didn't you come sooner?  
I turn around abruptly and walk to the closet on the other side  
of the room. I take out Princess Serena's dress and stare at it. No,  
today I must be Kou. So I put it back and close my eyes. I feel the  
Houou spread its wings and the fire from them surrounds me and warms  
my skin. It finally settles in the shape of a Mage robe around me and  
the flame garment flares once more before leaving me clothed. I open  
my eyes and look down at the red and gold garment with appreciation. I  
love my robes. I love the feel of them and the way they warm me or  
cool me as the temperature changes. The robes are a part of me so  
they sense my feelings and become lighter or heavier as needed.  
Feeling much better, I open the door and step out of my room,  
not noticing, however, that there is someone on the floor.  
"Ouch!" I look down and notice that I had just stepped on a  
man's hand. I have not met this person before. He has long blonde hair,  
a little wavy and probably a pain to get into that pony tail, and  
soft green eyes, he is also tall and slim.  
"I'm sorry, I had not noticed you there."  
He clutches his hand and smiles up at me. His eyes light up and  
he looks very handsome at that moment. "Quite alright. I knew you were  
going to do that. It's my own fault, really, for not moving my hand."  
"You knew?" I slit my eyes and reach my mind out to his. His  
aura feels like wind and smells of cherry blossoms. Ah, now that's why  
he knew. He was a Mirai. The future whispers secrets to him. "I see.  
And what, pray tell, were you doing sitting in front of my door?"  
"Guarding it. I gave one of your Senshi a couple of hours of  
sleep and took her place here."  
"They are taking turns guarding my door?"  
"Of course. They are worried about you."  
Yes, they would be worried about me. I feel bad, putting them  
in this position. But the extent of my danger is not very large at the  
moment. In fact, I have been in much greater danger and it's a good  
thing none of the Senshi had ever been informed of it. I would not have  
gotten where I am right now if they kept interfering for my safety.  
"Well then, maybe we should get acquainted if you are going to  
become my bodyguard for the next few hours. I'm High Mage Kou." I  
extend my hand and he gets up to take it. For a moment I'm scared he  
will kiss it or bow down to me. But he just shakes it and nods.  
"Mirai Zoicite at your service."  
"Well, Miraino, it has been a pleasure having you guard my door  
but really, I must be going." I use the formal address since I have no  
idea how good of a Mirai he is. Better safe than sorry, that's my  
motto. Not all the time, my mind whispers to me. Shut up, I say back  
before I realize I'm talking to myself.  
"Zoicite is fine. And I'm to accompany you."  
"You're what?"  
"I'm to accompany you. And I'm under strict orders. If I don't  
I'll get an earful... and probably some punishment that involves  
excruciating pain." His eyes twinkle and I wonder just under whose  
orders he is. He certainly did not seem to mind whatever punishment he  
would receive, which meant that his superior was not very serious at  
all about "excruciating pain."  
"I'm sorry, Zoicite, I'm not used to having a babysitter around  
and I do not plan to start now. I can take care of myself very well. It  
is not necessary for you to accompany me anywhere, I have..."  
"Gotten into trouble by yourself very easily before?"  
I spin around and find myself face to face with Hou. The fire  
he has given me rages for a moment before I quelch it, deciding to  
focus on his horrible comment instead.  
"I did not ask you! And I have no idea what you are talking  
about. Anytime I get in trouble is because of you!"  
"Because of me? Now that's a joke. Since when have I done  
anything that got you in trouble?"  
"Since forever! Since you were born! Since..." I'm just getting  
started when a voice interrupts my flow of insults.  
"Uh, excuse me?"  
"WHAT?" Hou and I turn around at once and pounce down on the  
Mirai standing there.  
"Uh... uh... nevermind." He shakes his head before heading down  
the hallway.  
"Weren't you supposed to accompany me?" I ask, amazed that he  
is leaving without any nagging.  
"Well, yes, unless High Mage Hou appeared, and he has, so I'm  
going." He keeps on walking and I glare at Hou, who is looking quite  
pleased with himself. Oh, he's so frustrating! I stamp my foot down  
hard and walk away quickly, hoping he doesn't follow me. I'm not that  
lucky.  
"Oh, no you don't. You're going to answer some questions! Like  
why in the name of Angreemon did you use so much energy without my  
help. And why..."  
I whirl on him before he can say another word. "I am not a  
child! I do not need your help everytime I cast a spell! Now, if you  
don't mind, I would like to have some breakfast and walk out in the  
gardens. Or am I not even allowed outside anymore?" I stop because he  
starts laughing. He is laughing at me!  
"Of course you are allowed outside..." His eyes twinkle at me  
and his mouth curves up into a smile. "Just not by yourself."  
"Argh!" I throw my hands up in the air and keep on walking. I  
reach the breakfast room and throw myself into my chair as the other  
people present look from my angry face to Hou's superior one and back  
again.  
"Everything alright?" My mother asks and I glare at her.  
"No, everything is NOT alright. I do not need protection! I'm  
not a child and I can go out without... HIM!" I wave my hand in his  
general direction and notice that he is still smiling.  
"Darling, you must realize that you have just gone through a  
lot and High Mage Hou has graciously offered to protect you, and I have  
agreed."  
"You what? Mother, I..." She holds up her hand and I stop at  
once. How could she still have that effect on me?  
"Serena, you are very important to the Moon and I will not have  
your life wasted. Now, let's all have a nice quiet meal and enjoy the  
sunshine." I glare at Hou but obey my mother and keep quiet. His smile  
is even more superior looking, if that is possible, and I resist the  
urge to stick my tongue out at him. He always makes me feel like a  
child and I know that we must seem like a couple of spoiled children,  
which we probably are, but we work really well together. Which explains  
the rivalry. I want to best him and he wants to best me. It has gone on  
forever. It will go on forever. If he only... my thoughts are slowly  
interrupted by my Mother's voice and I look to her and try to focus on  
her words.  
"...it isn't likely that he will be here soon. But you must be  
prepared to meet him, dear. And make sure that you put on something  
nice. He is going to arrive on a transport so please stay near the  
docks. Oh and no magic around, please. You must be so tired already."  
I sit there and gape at my mother. Who in the world is she  
speaking of? She looks at my face and puts down the bread she was about  
to eat to turn fully towards me.  
"Serena Serenity, have you heard a single word I have said?" I  
nod. I had heard what she had said; just not the first few sentences.  
"Then who is coming today?" I stop and try to remember any bit of  
information I could have heard in my subconscious, but my mind is a  
blank. "I see you have not paid attention." She frowns at me and I  
blush profusely. I dare not look at Hou since I know he must be  
smirking at me. "So now that I have your attention, please listen." I  
nod emphatically. I notice that I've been acting more and more like a  
child since I have come here. Is that what happens when one is too near  
their mother after a certain age? I must remember to stay away from my  
mother when other people are present. My reputation as a Mage is slowly  
deteriorating. "Prince Rupert Heron of Jupiter will be coming to the  
Moon today and you will be a good hostess to him. He is a good match  
for..."  
At those words all of my earlier submission leaves me. My eyes  
take on the look I know has intimidated many High Mages and my back  
straightens. "Mother, I will not be looking for any 'matches' anytime  
soon. I have already discussed this with you and I will not discuss it  
again. I am not getting married anytime soon and I refuse to show  
myself to some Prince in the hopes that he will be marrying me."  
There, that was nice, compact and to the point. I turn back to  
my plate and continue my meal but notice that the entire table is  
silent. I hear a small giggle. I look up and notice that my friends,  
who are sitting at the table with us, are trying to cover up their  
smiles. I want to ask what I said that was so funny but am afraid that  
I don't want to hear it.  
"Well, dear Kou, I must say that I have never heard you so  
completely wrong in my life. Not that I wouldn't agree with your mother  
if she deemed it necessary for you to marry, but you should have let  
her finish before you interrupted." I look at Hou and my eyes slit  
slowly and they promise him slow torture the next time we meet.  
"What he is trying to say, sweetie, is that I only meant that  
the Prince is a good match for our theater. He has an artistic talent  
and since the Moon Festival is coming soon he was asked to come and be  
in charge of the theatrical entertainment."  
I don't remember ever blushing to furiously. Ever in my entire  
life. At that the giggles turned into full laughter and I heard Hou's  
voice join their laughter. I clenched my fists and looked down at my  
lap. Soon the table was silent again and I felt Ami's eyes on my head,  
probably worried that they had been too horrible to me. My arms are  
shaking as are my shoulders and I can barely control myself any longer.  
Finally I look up, meet the eyes of the others at the table,  
and let go. My laughter rings clear throughout the room and I laugh  
until tears are falling and my sides are aching. Soon everyone joins in  
and the whole table is laughing. I can feel the atmosphere in the room  
change to a pleasant one and I feel happy. Being home is really doing  
me lots of good.  
  
After breakfast, I walk out towards the gardens and Ami joins  
me. She is looking especially beautiful today. Her blue hair frames her  
face perfectly and her eyes are lit up. She has a constant rosiness to  
her cheeks and she feels almost bubbly. I had never seen Ami bubbly  
before. This was definitely a change.  
She smiles at me and we sit down next to the Mercurian Water  
Fountain. This is Ami's favorite place. When the four Princesses came  
to the Moon to live and protect me, four fountains had been built to  
keep the girls from being homesick too much. Ami's fountain was made  
of water, Rei's was of fire, Lita's was of clouds and lightning, and  
Mina's was of light.  
I always considered it a priviledge to be invited to this place  
with Ami. The water would respond to her and she would play with it. It  
was beautiful to watch and everyday it was different.  
Today she reaches her hand in and the water ripples slowly out  
into concentric circles. She picks her hand up and the water follows,  
making a pillar of water. She lets it go and it hovers in the air,  
waiting for her next command. Soon the pillar of water starts turning  
and other smaller balls of water surround it and make a small dance.  
Not a drop of water falls. All of a sudden the pillar in the middle  
becomes oval and something is rising out of it. A miniature Phoenix  
made out of water peeks out of its "egg" and slowly comes out. It  
spreads its wings and slowly comes flying towards me. Its beak, cold as  
ice, pecks me on the cheek before it flies back to its discarded egg.  
Then Ami lets go of the water and it rushes down to the  
fountain at incredible speed before stopping and joining the fountain.  
Not a single splash was heard. I let go of the breath I had not  
realized I was holding.  
"Ami, that was beautiful. You are so much better at this than  
you used to be. Your concentration is absolutely amazing."  
She blushes slowly at my compliment and I know that she can do  
better. This was just a game for her. My admiration for her skills  
grows and I know that, if needed, she could command water and ice to do  
whatever she wished of it - and that included killing.  
"Thank you. I'm glad you liked it. I..." She stops and looks  
away. I know she needs to tell me something.  
"Whatever it is you can tell me, Ami. We're friends, right?" I  
put my hand on her arm and she looks at me, her eyes shows me all the  
answer I need to my question. We are more than friends. We are sisters.  
That's what her eyes tell me.  
"Have you met Zoicite?"  
I'm a little taken aback at the question. I was not expecting  
it. "Oh... yes, I have. The Miraino."  
She nods. "What did you think of him?"  
"Well, I did not really get to talk to him but he seemed like  
a very good person. Honorable."  
"I'm glad you think so." She looks so happy that I smile. "I  
really don't know how to say this, but..."  
"Does this have something to do with your rings?"  
She looks surprised. "Oh! I didn't know you had noticed."  
"Of course I noticed, Ami. You are my friend afterall. I was  
just waiting for you to say something."  
She clutches the three silver bands on her first finger and  
smiles. "I'm to be married to Zoicite in two months."  
"Oh, Ami, that's wonderful!" I give her a large hug and feel  
so happy for her. At the same time, my heart squeezes in pain. For a  
moment I wish that I had never been born with the Phoenix and that I  
had been a normal Princess who would one day be able to marry the love  
of her life without being a High Mage. But then the Houou raises his  
eyes to me and their normal ruby color is almost grey. His head droops  
and he feels sick. My mental hand reaches to him and I hug him, my arms  
turning hot as fire as I hold onto him and he is happy once again. As  
am I.  
I feel a coldness seep into this sacred place and look around  
to see what could be causing it. There, trying to get into the barrier  
is a small Ice Penguin. I take myself out of my magic and look at Ami  
and notice that I had been hugging her all along. I let go and her eyes  
smile at me, their blue are the same color as the Ice Penguin's eyes.  
"Ami, I didn't know you were not Noohane. You have wings! Why  
didn't you tell me?"  
She blushes and looks away, towards her fountain. "I just found  
out myself a couple of months ago. Aipen showed himself to me then. I  
never thought much about it since Penguins cannot fly... I'm still a  
Noohane, right?"  
I shake my head emphatically. She most definitely was not. Only  
Winged Magic could get as far as that Ice Penguin did. "You are Winged.  
Which is why your magic has increased. Why your concentration is so  
sharp."  
"I wasn't sure whether he was real or not. Aipen just showed up  
one day and it felt to me like he had always been there, but I just had  
never noticed. I probably make no sense to you."  
"On the contrary, you make perfect sense. That was how I found  
Houou. He was just there one day, as if he had always been there but I  
had been too busy to notice."  
"It doesn't really change anything, though. I'm not planning on  
becoming a High Mage anytime soon and I don't want to announce it to  
the Universe either. I'm happy being Sailor Mercury when I need to use  
my magic. And Princess Ami Maia uses Aipen when she needs him."  
I nod but am a little disappointed. If Ami had decided to go to  
Angreemon and announce her Wings she would have been the first Ice  
Penguin. Penguins were usually flightless but, somehow, Ami's Aipen had  
managed to grow Wings. Then again, hadn't I just wished to be a little  
more normal? Ami deserved her happiness and if not announcing her Wings  
would make her happy who am I to say otherwise?  
"Well, now that that's over with, we still need to talk about  
the wedding. You are to be my Bridesmaid and..." I smile and listen to  
Ami's excited talk. She seems like a girl again. And I like the girl I  
see in front of me.  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Darien ~ ~ * *  
  
  
  
I don't know how long I had laid there staring at the ceiling.  
It must have been at least two hours. The shadows had moved and the sun  
was setting. I sigh and get out of my bed. My bed... this was not "my"  
bed. I have been traveling for so long now that I almost don't remember  
what my bed actually feels like. What home is like. Maybe I should go  
back. See my family. My mother. My... No I was not going to think of  
her. Not tonight. My wife would not like that at all.  
My smile is sarcastic as I put on my tux. Wife was really a  
horrible word for that woman. I hated her yet I was bound to her. For  
life. Because of a stupid mistake and some persuasion. I shook my head.  
Perhaps I should think of her. That would certainly make Beryl very  
upset with me. Maybe then she would let go of this "marriage." I doubt  
it. But it's nice to hope.  
I open the doors and look out to see where exactly I am. I  
can't even keep these planets straight anymore. How long had I been  
here? Good question. I see the large amount of red everywhere and  
realize I must be in Mars. I hated Mars. Horrible place for a vacation.  
If this could be considered a vacation... which it most definitely was  
not.  
"Dearest! I have been looking for you everywhere!" I cringe as  
Beryl approaches me. She is a very beautiful woman. Beautiful but cold.  
Her eyes are cold. Like ice. Like she is not there and her face is just  
a mask. Too perfect, lacking normal flaws.  
"Beryl." I don't bother pretending anymore. Why does it matter  
anyway? I don't care if people know I hate my wife. I want them to know  
I hate her. She hates it when I do that. Which is exactly why I'm  
always doing it.  
Her eyes narrow as she slips her hand through my arm and we  
walk down the hallway. "What are we doing here? Another one of your  
research projects?" I don't know why I bother asking. She wouldn't tell  
me anyway.  
"None of your business, but soon we'll be leaving. We are going  
to the Moon." I stop mid-step. My heart is beating and my palms feel  
clammy. The Moon. The only place I dreaded going to. And yet I felt  
compelled to return to. The place where she lived. The girl of my  
dreams. My only love. "What's the matter, dearest? Perhaps you are  
forgetting our marriage vows? Maybe I should..."  
"No, Beryl. I'm not forgetting the vows we made, I won't ever  
forget them. And you better not forget your part of it."  
"Do I ever?" She plasters on a fake smile as we walk into the  
dining hall and I pass faces I don't care to remember. I know they are  
whispering about what a beautiful couple we make. How her face is  
perfect and mine ruggedly handsome. And I want to go into a rage. I  
want to destroy this place. Set it on fire. And watch it all burn. With  
Beryl screaming in it. The thought brings a smile to my face.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Once again, I'm so sorry this chapter is so short... I know people have  
been getting impatient but trust me when I say that the next chapter is  
worth waiting for! Please tell me if you enjoyed reading this chapter!  
I love getting e-mails! E-mail me at cfmc@uclink4.berkeley.edu with  
your thoughts! 


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four! Wow! I'm so proud of myself for actually finishing it  
before this week ended! I was seriously expecting it to take another  
week. Of course after all the threats I couldn't take more time... I  
actually got an e-mail me telling me that I was EVIL! 207 times! I'm so  
proud! ^^; So this chapter, as promised, is longer and full of juicy  
details. I'm sorry for taking so long but I have been busy and I've  
also been neglecting the Mage Princess since I hadn't had one of my  
"moods" for a while. Then, all of a sudden, one took over me a couple  
of days ago and when I get in these writing moods... well... let's just  
say that nothing in this world (short of death) can stop me! ^__^  
Anyway enjoy the story and, please, keep writing!  
  
For all those interested: This series will probably be about 8 parts  
(this includes prologue and epilogue) long. So expect more! ~.^  
  
A few disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon... if I did I would be  
publishing these stories because I would have enough money to do so...  
I'm also an extremely poor college student who has to rely on her  
scholarship to pay off the registration fees so don't sue me... you'll  
get nothing out of it! One more thing: Washi is my character... Hou is  
also my character and I guess that Kou is my character too since she is  
so very different from Serenity ne? ~.^ Anyway I made all of them up so  
don't steal any of them, okie? ^^  
  
New disclaimer: Yuufu, Narcissus, Ohamu, and Abura Kakyuu are also my  
characters. No stealing!  
  
I guess it's on with the story!  
  
The Mage Princess  
  
CHAPTER FOUR  
By: Sailor Berkeley  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Rei ~ ~ * *  
  
  
My fists are clenched at my sides and I'm storming down the  
hallway, my raven hair flying behind me. I'm upset and am about to burn  
down this entire castle. My blood feels like molten lava and my eyes  
are burning. If I get a hold of that stupid, idiotic... My thoughts are  
interrupted as I run smack into another person. I look up, expecting an  
apology, and instead meet the most beautiful grey eyes in this galaxy.  
They soften as they meet my own violet eyes and the look in  
them makes the hot lava recede, though another warmth spreads over me  
and my cheeks become ruddy. His eyes are getting closer and closer to  
my own until our noses are touching and finally his lips brush mine and  
I'm lost in the kiss. I draw away with a sigh.  
"Rei, darling, why are you so upset?" his voice is soft and  
feels almost like feathers to me. My heart beats an irregular beat. Why  
was I upset? I was upset? How could anyone be upset when such beautiful  
and loving eyes were right there?  
"I... I don't know." I smile as he laughs. His laughter fills  
me and makes me love him even more. If that were possible.  
"Well, if nothing is the matter then we can talk and spend  
sometime together, right?"  
I nod emphatically. Oh, yes. Spending time with him would be  
wonderful. He offers me his arm and I take it as we walk down towards  
the gardens. He tells me about his current problems and I listen,  
giving him silent comfort. And I know he feels better. People have a  
hard time understanding him. The ones who don't know him find him  
arrogant and proud. But I know better. I have seen his soft side, I've  
seen him cry out and wake up from nightmares. I have been there to  
comfort him many times and I know he is not arrogant; he is kind and  
loving. It's not his fault his Gift makes him a very sad person. And I  
love him even more for it.  
He stops and it's my turn. My turn to vent out my anger and all  
my frustrations. I stay quiet. Around him I have no complaints. My  
anger dissipates and I feel the lava quiet down inside me. It certainly  
was not a good thing for Sailor Mars. But Princess Hera Rei loves it.  
And I notice that Hinekami is also happy. He enjoys this as much as I  
do. I'm about to talk about Hinekami when I see Ami and Serena walking  
towards us. Ami is happy and talking rapidly so I know she is speaking  
of the wedding. I like being around her when she speaks of it. She is  
so happy and excited that the feeling washes over everyone around her  
and makes the entire palace feel her happiness. It makes us all joyous  
to see the Mercurian Princess giggle like a schoogirl.  
Serena gives me a smile and we share a knowing look. I had  
missed her when she went away. It had been hard. I tried to follow her.  
I tried to go to Angreemon. But I was Noohane, and they wouldn't accept  
me. And what kind of Senshi would I be if I went to Angreemon and  
forgot about my home planet and the protection it deserved from me? And  
then, two years ago, Hinekami appeared. I still remember the first  
moment I noticed him.  
  
It was an extremely hot day, even for Mars, and I was walking  
out in the Red Tree Forest and attempting to stay near the shadows that  
the long trees cast when I heard a cry that I had never heard on Mars.  
I was instantly on alert. I scanned in the entire forest and waited.  
And waited. Nothing happened. I shook my head and blinked hard and  
there it was again. An earth-shattering cry. A howl. Long, deep and  
full of rage. I looked everywhere but saw nothing. I remember thinking,  
in my subconscious, that I should leave, call for help, do something  
other than standing there and waiting for whatever had made that cry to  
appear. But I didn't.  
It's hard for me to explain but I didn't feel scared. I felt  
calm, expectant and powerful. I blinked again and heard the sound. It  
took me a couple more blinks for me to figure out that everytime my  
eyes were closed I would hear the wolf's cry. So I closed my eyes  
tightly and stared behind my eyelids until my eyes hurt. I could hear  
the wolf clearly, but I could not see it.  
I was trying too hard. So I stopped trying and just closed my  
eyes. Suddenly a huge red wolf jumped on top of me and started licking  
my face. Once I got over the shock, I laughed and rubbed his ears. I  
knew I was in my own mind, but this wolf was definitely not of my  
creation. He had always been there. He was a part of me.  
When he finally allowed me to get up I noticed the huge red  
wings made of lava that extended out of his shoulderblades. I wasn't  
surprised. It almost felt like I had always known he was there, I just  
had never paid attention. I knew his name was Hinekami just as I knew  
he was a part of me.  
  
After that day Hinekami never left me alone. Despite his large  
size and incredible set of fangs, he is really as playful as a puppy.  
And I love him. I smile an ironic smile. I had finally received my  
Wings. But only after I wanted them. I know that I'm the first Winged  
Wolf. Just as I know that Ami is the first Winged Penguin, Mina is the  
first Winged Cat and Lita is the first Winged Horse. All this knowledge  
comes from the Martian flames in my blood. The empath abilities of my  
people are amazing, to say the least. But I also know that the four of  
us will not be the last. And the next generation of Mages with these  
Guardians will do wonderful things and will accomplish a lot more than  
we ever could. And I'm happy that I'm not the one who will need to  
carry that burden. As Serena has.  
I know that she wishes she could have been a normal Princess,  
my empath abilities tell me these things. But I also know that she  
would never let go of the Phoenix. Not even if she were given the  
choice - especially if she were given the choice. Just like I would  
never give up Hinekami. But my destiny is different than my Princess'.  
I am allowed to ignore my Wings. And she is not. But I know she will be  
happy. Sooner or later. She will be happy.  
I smile up at Jadeite and feel content. With him I'm complete.  
I'm home. And I'm exactly where I'm needed.  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Ami ~ ~ * *  
  
  
I always feel that wave of comfort over me when Zoicite appears  
and there he is, coming around the corner right after Rei and Jadeite.  
My heart swells and that feeling of completeness takes hold once more.  
I love him so much that it hurts at times. My heart is so large that  
it feels trapped behind my ribcages. I give him the smile I know he  
likes best. The one that promises him that I will always be only his.  
Rei starts talking to Serena and my subconscious is storing the  
new information in my brain but I'm not paying attention. I can peruse  
the conversation later. It always scared me, the way my mind could work  
almost like a machine. Like a computer. Like there were files stored  
into my mind and I could reach in and pull out the one I wanted and  
look over it. Even if I saw something only once it would be stored in  
there forever. When I was a child I thought that everyone's brains  
worked in that fashion. It was such a large surprise to find that this  
was not so and that I was one of the few. Maquins. That's what they  
called us. The few people who had that type of storing capacity in  
their brains.  
I was regarded differently because of that ability. All my life  
people treated me almost as a machine. As though my only function was  
to record and replay. My eyes mist over as I remember how much I hated  
this brain of mine because people could only see the brain and not the  
person. That is, until I came to the Moon. Serena never treated me as  
a Maquin. She treated me as a person. A living breathing person.  
I give her a grateful smile and she smiles back at me, as  
though she knows what I am thinking of. Then I met the other girls and  
they treated me the same. Slowly I learned that people treated me as a  
Maquin because I put myself out as one. I was too young to understand  
emotions because my brain took over emotions. With the help of my new  
friends, and later with Zoicite, I was able to separate the two. My  
brain was used at times, and my heart and emotions were used at others.  
They were separate entities and were kept as such.  
I almost immediately noticed the difference. People treated me  
differently. Took time out to make sure I was comfortable. Stopped  
asking me questions that would make me overly use my Maquin  
capabilities. And Zoicite had helped me through it all. Always there  
for me.  
I reach out my hand to him and he takes it in his own and pulls  
me towards him for a short kiss. He then wraps his long arms around my  
waist and I feel comfortable to just have him behind my back like that.  
My hands rest on top of his arms and he kisses the top of my head as I  
smile at him and bring myself even closer.  
I notice that someone asked me a question and I close my eyes  
and reach out into the file for that morning and look over the  
conversation, which had started with Rei introducing Jadeite and Serena  
and I notice that Serena is a little wary of Jadeite. She probably  
senses his ability. Mina came bounding up the path and asks me if I had  
a good time at the fountain.  
I open my eyes and tell Mina that I had a wonderful time. This  
all took the span of about half a second. My brain can do some amazing  
things at times and I'm almost glad that I posses this unique Maquin  
capability.  
"Well, that's good. I was about to meet you guys there but here  
is as good as there. Have any of you seen Kunzite? I know he must be  
around here somewhere and I haven't bumped into him yet."  
Zoicite squeezes me tighter and I smile, my knowledge not  
escaping my lips, no matter how much it really wants to.  
"Kunzite? Who is he?" Serena asks and we all suddenly remember  
that she has really never met Kunzite. When she is here it almost feels  
like she has always been here and we tend to forget that she has not  
been living with us the past eight years.  
"Oh. Kunzite is... well he's my..." Mina blushes prettily and  
Serena starts laughing.  
"Oh, I see. No need to explain, Mina... as long as he isn't a  
Garandou it should be fine." She meant it as a joke, I suppose, but I  
can feel Zoicite's arms harden and Jadeite has a pained look on his  
face. Serena notices this, as a High Mage would and looks surprised.  
"A Garandou? Kunzite is a Garandou?"  
Mina nods very briefly and her eyes are ready to protect her  
lover no matter what happens. I have seen her like this before, and I  
know not to get in the way when her eyes flash like that. Serena, as a  
High Mage, has seen worse and so does not take notice as much as I do.  
"You must be joking. A Mirai," here she nods towards Zoicite,  
"a Kuji, for I'm sure Jadeite here is a Kuji, and a Garandou? All we  
need is a Douji and you rival even the Hito."  
I cringe as I hear her hurt the one I love so much. I know she  
doesn't know this. She doesn't know who they are and it's our fault for  
not telling her. But Zoicite is upset and I know he probably had some  
idea that this was going to happen.  
"Serena," My voice is soft and I can barely hear it, I have no  
idea how she is going to, and I don't care. "Zoicite, Jadeite, Kunzite  
and Nephrite - whom you haven't met yet - are the Hito."  
Right at that moment Nephrite and Lita walk in. By the serious  
expression on his face I can tell that he came because the present told  
him to. And he knows what has happened.  
I see the shock on her face and she looks quickly up at  
Zoicite, Jadeite, and Nephrite, who are silent and as still as statues,  
with awe in her face. They hate that look. The one that tells them they  
are different and are treated as such because of their Gift, their  
Curse. I'm almost disappointed in Serena. I had thought she would have  
taken it better. But then I hear her laugh and I look up with surprise.  
"Well, then, we have quite a gathering." I quickly turn towards  
Hou who had just come into the garden and was walking towards us. His  
eyes were bearing down on Kou's and the two were sharing a very wide  
smile. The rest of us were confused. I had no idea what was going on.  
One moment she was in awe, the next she was laughing and now she had  
some extra knowledge that we were not privy to.  
"Indeed we do." Kou, for this is Kou and not Serena talking,  
answered with a smile. "Isn't it wonderful?" Hou's eyes sparkle and the  
two look like nothing could ever be better.  
"Ummm... excuse me?" Mina's voice squeaks and she has her hand  
up, as though she is asking for permission to speak. The two Mages look  
at her. "What are you talking about?"  
"It is the prophecy. It's coming true."  
"What prophecy?" Zoicite is curious now, as am I. Both of us  
enjoy reading and hold quite a bit of knowledge between the two of us  
but we had, neither of us, heard of any prophecy regarding the Hito.  
Hou looks at Zoicite and his voice takes a different tone, as  
though he is reciting something that he has known his entire life.  
  
"One dawn Time will meet Men  
One morning Phoenix will meet Woman and Man  
One afternoon the Two will meet Novel Wings  
One twilight the Three will meet the Darkness  
One night the Darkness will take over  
One day the Three will challenge the Dark Rulers."  
  
I shiver as I hear those six lines. Not a good prophecy at all.  
My brain knows what it means quickly and I can almost feel it decoding  
and putting things together again and presenting it in a more  
understandable way.  
Time meeting Men are the Hito. They are called the Hito for  
their association with Time. Jadeite is a Kuji, the past whispers its  
secrets to him. Nephrite is a Houji, the present whispers its secrets  
to him. Zoicite is a Mirai, the future whispers its secrets to him. And  
Kunzite is a Garandou, the one who takes past, present and future and  
put is together to command and change Time. The four together are  
called the Hito - they were born at the same exact moment and their  
minds melded together at that moment. The first Hito in the universe.  
Phoenix meeting Woman and Man can only refer to Kou and Hou.  
The first time two Phoenixes existed at once. Novel Wings referred to  
me, Rei, Mina and Lita - the first new set of Wings in centuries. The  
Darkness can only mean something evil and horrible and somehow I think  
that Narcissus has something to do with it. The last line I especially  
do not like. How are we to challenge something that will take over what  
I'm assuming is the universe? This is definitelly not a good prophecy.  
I shake my head as I see Kunzite coming towards us. He knows  
what is happening because his mind is melded with the others. He always  
knows what is happening with his friends. They are his life force in a  
way; if they die he does. Because he is so attached to them, even more  
so than they are to him.  
The eight of us stare at each other and ponder all that we have  
heard. It's true. I can feel it. And I'm sure that somehow Kunzite had  
some idea that this was going to happen. Mina, our leader, the one who  
always held a smile but who was always the first to become serious in  
battle, spoke first.  
"Prophecy or no prophecy, Serena, we will always come to you  
when we are needed." The rest of us nod vigorously. Of course we would.  
Even at the cost of death.  
"The Hito will always serve the Moon Kingdom, Your Highness."  
Kunzite, always the formal one, of course would give his service freely  
if it was needed. And he knew it was. He also knew that this was  
necessary for the whole universe.  
"I'm glad you will all willingly help. I'm afraid that the  
Darkness is spreading. And I'm sorry to speak of such things when you  
are all doing so well and so comfortable in life. I wish it weren't  
happening, but Hou and I have found larger spots of the Darkness  
spreading in the Magic. More and more Mages are becoming Dark and the  
universe is feeling it. Dark Mages are not only bad because they tend  
to attack innocent people, they also polute all the life force of this  
universe. It is slowly deteorating. If the Darkness is not cleansed,  
and soon, there will be no hope for anyone."  
We take the information in with horror growing on our faces.  
The universe detereorating? How could such a thing happen?  
"I don't want all of you to become so serious that there will  
be no more joking or laughing in the castle. On the contrary, that will  
actually help fight the Darkness. But I do want you to be ready when I  
call you."  
I stepped outside of Zoicite's embrace and took Serena's hand  
in my own. "We will be more than ready when you call. Do not worry."  
She smiles at me and I know that for her, for my love, for the peace of  
this Kingdom and for the entire Universe, I would be ready in a second.  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Hou ~ ~ * *  
  
  
"Narcissus?" I should have known it would be him. He was always  
the one who would get into scrapes and, though we all loved his jokes  
and his sometimes scandalous attitude, there were moments when his eyes  
would turn cold and I would shiver and the Houou would warm me with his  
lava wings, but I was always the only one who noticed. And I remember  
the day we let him go. I was livid and I almost did not allow Kou to  
see him. I wanted him dead, and quickly. I knew that Kou would allow  
him to escape and I knew that she pitied him. I give her a small  
reproachful look and then let it go. Not worth arguing over and I'm  
sure she had not noticed the look.  
"I know." I stop my thoughts and look at Kou. Her voice is soft  
and barely audible. "I should have killed him when I had the chance." I  
wince. She had noticed.  
"It's done and in the past. It can't be changed so let's move  
on. Did you track him?" I see her shoulders straighten and her voice,  
once soft and vulnerable, takes on its sharp edge once again. I hate  
having to talk to her this way, but I know that she doesn't like to be  
weak and is grateful for my single-mindedness.  
"I was able to get a broad tracking done. Not much of a lead  
but a strong possibility."  
"Where?"  
"Kinmoku."  
Within seconds we are both standing in front of the Kinmoku  
palace. I feel the olive-scented magic of the planet caress the Phoenix  
and then it is gone. We have been accepted into the planet. The large  
doors open and a small man, his shrivelled hands grasping a cane and  
his frame so fragile that it looked as though it would collapse and  
crack with a small breeze, walked out to greet us.  
Ohamu is 1,748 years old and has seen 53 Mages fill the  
position of Zen'youkuhikouki. He is an Ancient and is revered among all  
Mages. Despite his age, and the fact that he is blind, his grip on his  
cane is still strong and his shoulders do not droop. And here I feel  
that incredible urge to bow once again. I do not know where this  
feeling comes from, or why I have it, but it comes and goes and it  
always makes me uncomfortable. Kou looks as calm as ever and her face  
is a perfect mask. I decide to follow her example and the two of us,  
hands gripped together against our chests, a Mage sign, wait for the  
Ancient to speak first.  
My hands are developing tingles and are turning white with the  
strength I'm pressing them together but I leave them there and do not  
loosen the hold they have on each other. He may be blind, but he is an  
Ancient and one never underestimates an Ancient.  
Slowly, as though he has not done this in years, his knees bend  
and the Ancient, Ohamu the Loon, bows to us. My eyes must be bulging  
out of my head, and I suppress the urge my jaw has to slack open. The  
Ancient has never bowed to anyone in his entire life, Mages do not ever  
bow to anyone.  
Kou, as usual, reacts first and almost runs towards him. She  
makes it look like she is floating, but I know she is running. She  
grips his arm and gently lifts him back up. I recover the use of my  
muscles and slowly, though just as gracefully as Kou, walk towards the  
two of them.  
"Why bow, Ancient? We have not deserved this and we will not  
allow it." My voice sounds like it's far away and I speak for both Kou  
and I. In public, and in the presence of High Mages, we must sound as  
one. Being Zen'youkuhikouki together means that we must have one will  
in front of all Mages so we talk in the plural. It is too formal for  
me, though, and I only do it for the sake of tradition.  
"One bows when it is necessary, and when faced with the Saviors  
of the universe." His voice sounds almost amused. I did not know that  
the Ancient still posessed a sense of humor. "And one bows, especially,  
to old friends."  
Kou and I smile widly at him and her hand pats his arm as  
lovingly as she would have her father's or grandfather's. The Ancient  
had been a good friend, would always be a good friend, to Kou. I do  
not know him as well, but I know that he has done many things for Queen  
Serenity and he was once a regular visitor of the Moon Kingdom.  
"We need some help from your Princess, old friend." I have  
always been amazed at Kou's ability to sound so formal and powerful and  
yet so loving and caring all in one sentence.  
"Ah, Kakyuu should be glad to receive you. I'm sure that she is  
never too busy for you. Especially not when such tidings could mean  
disaster for Kinmoku."  
"We were not aware you knew about this, Ancient," I am  
surprised that he gleaned so much information from just one meeting.  
"I know many things, Zen'youkuhikouki. I also know that he whom  
you seek has been here. But I will let my granddaughter explain this to  
you since I cannot interfere in this specific affair."  
Kou and I don't even need to share a look, it has been shared  
already, in our link. We both know that Princess Abura Kakyuu has been  
a High Mage friend for years and that she would never do anything to  
hurt the balance between Dark and Light. And I know that she is not the  
Ancient's granddaughter, but rather his great-great-great-granddaughter  
and that, though only a Princess in title, she is the actual ruler of  
this planet. There are no Queens or Kings in Kinmoku, only Princesses  
and they are, just as the Serenity line on the Moon, all named after  
the first Kakyuu. Princess Hana Zeita Abura Kakyuu is actually Princess  
Kakyuu XXIII and she comes from a long line of High Mages and Noohanes.  
Not a single one of them has ever become Dark.  
Kou and I walk behind the Ancient and walk at his pace, as  
though all three of us are one body. No one openly stares, but I can  
feel the eyes bearing down on us as we walk by. I doubt that the planet  
of Kinmoku has Mage visitors often, less likely even that they would be  
the two Zen'youkuhikouki.  
We are led into a bright, airy room where the Princess rests  
upon a small throne made of olive tree bark twisted together. Leaves  
are growing from its sides and the flowers frame her body perfectly. As  
is usual for Kinmoku, butterflies are all over, flying and landing  
gracefully. Three land on my shoulder and four on my sleeves and I feel  
as though I have somehow passed an unspoken test. Seven butterflies  
circle Kou and land on her, as though kissing her, only to fly off and  
land somewhere else again.  
I look at the Princess and remember the last time I had seen  
her. I don't remember why I had been on Kinmoku, nor do I remember when  
it was, but I know that I had thought her to be delightful. She was  
much younger then, no more than seven I should think, but she already  
had that air of maturity and serenity that I see in the woman before  
me. She has the renowned red eyes of her family as well as long black  
hair that falls in a curtain around her face. The flower on her  
forehead twinkles at me and there are seven butterflies on her hair and  
they look like decoration, like they were put there for a reason. I  
notice that seven is a reoccuring number here. There are seven pillars  
in the room, seven windows and seven butterflies surrounding each of  
the seven inhabitants of the room. I must remember to check why this  
number is so important to Kinmoku, as it most obviously is.  
She smiles at the two of us and her head bows to Kou,  
recognizing her as the Princess of the Moon. Kou's head stays fixed in  
place. She is acting as Zen'youkuhikouki and as me, so she must not  
even acknowledge the Princess.  
"I'm honored to have such guests at my palace. Welcome to  
Kinmoku, Zen'youkuhikouki."  
"Thank you, your Highness. We are very grateful for such a warm  
and quick welcome. However, we are not here for pleasure today."  
"No, I did not suppose you were." She looks to her three Senshi  
and they all come forward to stand behind her throne. She sits up a  
little straigther than before and the butterflies flutter down to  
encircle her lap before resting on her hands. "What may I help you with  
today, Zen'youkuhikouki?"  
"We are looking for a Dark Mage. He has been traced back to  
this area. We are not sure he came to Kinmoku or one of its neighboring  
planets, but we do know that he was using Dark Magic and, therefore,  
must have been noticed by your planet if he indeed had come here."  
The Princess looked at Kou for a moment and was about to shake  
her head when one of her Senshi slightly tipped her head. It was such  
a small gesture that I doubt anyone else would have even noticed but  
Kakyuu stopped at once and looked at her Senshi.  
"I'm sorry, my Princess, but I have felt something Dark enter  
our planet and then leave it after a couple of hours. I had meant to  
fill a report but I thought that nothing would have come out of it."  
I wait impatiently for the Princess to introduce us. It would  
not be proper for me to ask any questions of the Senshi until the  
Princess deemed it time for her to be introduced. "This is Sailor Star  
Fighter, Minor Princess Yuufu of the Koda Clan." The Senshi bowed to  
Kou and inclined her head towards me.  
"What happened?" I notice the small frown that passed her  
forehead as though she is trying to remember something.  
"It happened very quickly, but I felt something Dark come into  
the planet, and then leave it. The only piece of information I feel you  
might benefit from is that right as it left I felt another Dark Mage,  
this one much stronger than the one that left, meet it on its way out.  
They both left towards..." here she stopped and looked towards the  
ground and the seven concentric circles on it before she continued.  
"Towards the Sol System. They left towards the Moon Kingdom."  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Mina ~ ~ * *  
  
  
Haneko is, once again, purring so loudly that I feel as though  
my bones, even if I do not have bones in this place, are going to crack  
in a moment. His bright yellow wings are folded over his back and he  
has my legs trapped in his large body. I pet him as fiercely as I know  
he likes and he finally lets me go. I open my eyes and sigh.  
I'm not sure whether or not I should be glad that I can finally  
tell people about Haneko. In fact, I wasn't even sure I was Winged  
until I had heard that horrible prophecy. I had always thought I was  
Noohane. The fact that Haneko had wings meant nothing to me, not until  
today at least.  
I hug my legs and rest my chin on my knees, staring out at the  
blue sphere suspended in the air, millions of stars surrounding it and  
twinkling at me. I hadn't been on Earth in at least eleven years. I  
missed it. I missed it even more than I did Venus.  
Of course Venus was home - it would always be home - but Earth  
was where I had first met Kunzite and the time I spent there had been  
some the happiest of my life.  
  
I first arrived on Earth at the age of fourteen. I can still  
recall its scent when I want to. A scent that I can never describe well  
enough. An earthy smell, one that promises life and growth and plenty  
of love and care.  
I had come to Earth to visit the Hito, who were the special  
Warriors, called Generals here on Earth, in charge of protecting the  
Earthling Prince Darien Endymion. Serena was supposed to have come to  
see the Prince but she had not wanted and the Prince was away. No one  
outside of the Earth Kingdom, and even some on Earth, knew where he  
was. He would come back sporadically and without warning. All this I  
learned later on.  
I remember looking up at the Moon and smiling and waving, as  
though my friends could see me from there. I escaped to the Gardens the  
moment I was left alone and quickly became amazed by the large quantity  
of exotic flowers and beautiful trees all around me.  
I was so happy that I started to run. Running frees me in a way  
that nothing else ever does. To see the world in a blur always made me  
think clearer, as strange and ironic as that may seem. It was then that  
I met General Kunzite, the Garandou.  
I ran smack into him. I can only imagine what I must have  
looked like to him, hair all over, dress a little crooked and cheeks  
red and hot from the exercise. Of course they became even more red as I  
noticed that the person I had just run into was several years older,  
quite handsome and in a very compromising position as he grabbed my  
waist to regain his balance and we both toppled to the ground, me on  
top of him and his lips barely inches from mine.  
I quickly got up and tried not to notice how wonderfully bright  
and mesmerizing his eyes were. They had changed colors three times  
since I had met him and I could not decide whether they were green,  
blue or hazy grey. Later I found out that since he was the Garandou his  
eyes were the color of all the Hito. Nephrite's blue, Zoicite's green  
and Jadeite's grey were all a part of Kunzite's eyes.  
"I'm sorry, my lady. I did not mean to be in your way." He  
bowed to me and then started to turn around. I had been so enchanted  
by his eyes that his words did not register immediately. Not until he  
started to leave did I make a sound.  
"No, wait!" I had not meant to make it sound so desperate, nor  
so loud and I blushed profusely. He turned around and looked at me  
expectantly. "I should be the one to apologize. I was behaving wildly  
and did not watch where I was going. I'm sorry I ran over you in that  
manner." Oh, but I was not sorry. Not at all. If I had the choice I  
would run over him again and again.  
"Don't be sorry, I quite enjoyed it." And with that he left me.  
To this day I have no idea how I made him say something as  
inappropriate as that. Kunzite, I learned throughout the years, is the  
most formal and conscious man I have ever met. It can become quite  
infuriating at times, but I love him all the more for it. For I had  
fallen in love with him right then and there.  
The next few days consisted of me following him around like a  
lovesick puppy and him pretending not to notice. I enjoyed every moment  
of it. I was so sad when it came time for me to leave. I had packed all  
my clothes and was just about to walk out of the room I had been given  
the last few days when there was a knock at the door.  
I was putting on my shoe as I walked towards the dresser for my  
golden crown and eating toast at the same time when Kunzite walked in.  
The toast fell on the carpet, forgotten, and my shoe stayed  
half on as the golden Venetian Crown lay on the dresser and twinkled at  
me in a loving way.  
"Excuse me, Your Highness." He bowed and looked at me as though  
he wanted to say something but was too embarrassed. I couldn't believe  
that Kunzite would ever be embarrassed, especially not in front of me.  
"I... that is I... I would like to..." I waited as he regained his  
composure. My heart beat faster and I subconsciously reached my hands  
out to him. I guess that was all he needed. He rushed to me and kissed  
me so fervently I was shocked. He only stopped when we were both  
breathless. I gave him a small smile as his eyes turned green and he  
twirled me around once before whispering a goodbye in my ear and  
leaving rapidly.  
  
Since that day Kunzite and I had met about once a year and had  
not shared one single kiss. I know that it's just how he is but damn  
him! Talking to him and seeing him is wonderful, and I'm more happy  
than ever when this happens but it's slowly becoming not enough for me.  
I need a little more out of this relationship and if it weren't for  
that astounding kiss I would probably have given up on any passion ever  
developing between the two of us.  
I sigh once more and slowly get up, hearing my bones complain  
at being moved after resting for so many hours. I walk to my rooms and  
play with the chain around my neck. No sooner had I thought about  
Serena that I heard her voice in my head.  
"Mina, anything wrong?"  
"Oh!" I'm a little shocked at how quickly this thing worked. I  
had not meant to call to Serena but now that she was there I knew that  
I wanted to talk to her. "No emergency, just wanted to talk."  
I gasp as she materializes in front of me. She immediately  
takes my hand and we both walk into my room where we sit on the bed and  
she looks at me as though she has all the time in the world.  
"Are you sure I'm not interrupting anything important?" Her  
brow furrows for a moment but then it's gone and I wonder if I imagined  
it.  
"Not at all. Nothing that can't be handled later. What's wrong?  
Anything I can do for you? Anybody I can help beat up?" I laugh at that  
and feel, once more, glad to have her home.  
"Not really, just listen, I guess. I've been so frustrated  
lately and did not know who to turn to." So I tell her everything that  
has happened between Kunzite and I and how much I love him and how much  
I just want to spend the rest of my life with him. Throughout all of  
this Serena sits and listens to me, laughing, nodding, and patting my  
hands all at the right times. "I know it's dumb of me to complain since  
I know that Kunzite loves me but..."  
"You just wish he would show it a little better?"  
"Exactly. Thanks for listening to me, Serena. It made me feel  
a lot less stressed." I give her a grateful smile and her eyes shine  
back at me.  
"Just give it some more time, Mina. If I'm not mistaken you  
will soon get a surprise from this lover of yours." She winks at me and  
disappears before I can ask her what she means.  
"Well if that isn't just like her!" I shake my head and head  
towards my bathroom. A nice long bath will do me good. I'm about to  
turn the hot water on when I feel another presence in the room. I turn  
around abruptly and am already dressed as Sailor Venus when I see the  
tall hooded figure materializing before me.  
A cackle fills the air and I shiver before I can stop myself.  
It is not a pleasant sound. "Who are you?" I gather the beams of Venus  
in my hand as I speak and their light makes the black figure turn a  
dull grey.  
"Someone you wish you had never met." Her voice is strangely  
alluringly. I stop to wonder at this and have barely enough time to  
dodge away as a crackling ball of black energy is hurled towards me. I  
throw my beams at the person and cannot believe it as all of them stop  
short of the target and stand in mid-air. I push them with my mind but  
they are completely immobile. The woman's cackle fills the air once  
more and all of my beams, my weapons, the ones I built from the love I  
carry, shatter and are gone.  
"Noohane magic. How pathetic." Another black ball comes after  
me and I dodge it effectively only to be encountered with yet another  
ball. They are everywhere I look. My skill as a Warrior is good but not  
inexaustible and I feel myself becoming tired. And then I miss a step  
and one of the balls hits me on the shoulder and digs into my skin,  
burying itself in my body. I scream, or at least I think I scream. I'm  
not sure anymore. I can't hear anything and then, suddenly, the pain is  
gone and I'm standing next to Haneko. His body is tense and his hackles  
are raised. A low growl resonates throughout the room and his tail is  
lashing wildly.  
I see a Vulture waiting outside of this enclosed room and his  
eyes are bright beads of anger and hate. I shiver once again and know  
that soon he will break through my barrier and then what would I do?  
That's when I notice the whispering. As I notice this, it grows  
louder and I know that it had always been there but I had never  
listened enough to it. It is Haneko. He is talking to me in what sounds  
like a whisper and yet like a scream. They are not words but they feel  
like words to me. I'm not really listening to Haneko - he can't talk, I  
know he can't talk - I'm just simply understanding him. And he is  
telling me what to do.  
I place my hand on his back, between his shoulder blades and  
between his wings and feel the pure energy that runs through his body;  
his body that is not really a body. When I look at him again he is made  
up of small threads of golden light and these threads run through his  
body and then into the floor and around us in a bubble. It is then that  
I realize that this room that I had always called my mind was not  
really mine. It was Haneko. The entire room was him. And then my hands  
go through his body and I slowly pick up threads and take them out. And  
then I'm weaving these threads together. Slowly the shape of a heart is  
forming.  
It seems like hours have passed and yet I'm still picking  
threads from Haneko's body and weaving them into a heart. I almost feel  
like a child once again. As though I'm making bracelets of grass for my  
friends, as I used to do long ago. I know I've spent quite a long time  
in here because I'm becoming tired and Haneko has long since laid down,  
though the growl still resonates through the room.  
Finally I am finished. The heart in my hand is as big as my  
palm. I'm almost disappointed. I spent all that time making this tiny  
little heart but I know it is going to help me. I can feel the warmth  
inside of it and the love it carries. I cup my hands around it and,  
through my cupped hands, blow at it. Soon my hands are a soft yellow  
color and I know that the heart is glowing as bright as the sun. I then  
open my cupped palms and watch the heart slowly float up and go through  
the barrier which has grown considerably dimmer and shabbier since I  
had started. Haneko had used too much of his energy and he was tired.  
I watch as the heart wedges itself into the vulture and then it  
glows so brightly that the vulture explodes. The sound is deafening and  
I cup my hands around my ears. Suddenly I'm back in my room and my  
shoulder feels like it's on fire. I look at it and notice that, though  
it left a bad burn, the black ball is now gone from me. A cry of rage  
and pain makes me look up. The hooded figure is clutching her heart and  
I see threads of light making their way out of her body. She was the  
vulture. The one I made explode.  
I see Hou and Kou materialize before me and I feel a blackness  
take over right before I hit the floor.  
  
(AN: Wouldn't I be evil if I stopped the chapter right here? Hmmmm....  
tempting thought... nah I won't do it, there's an even better  
cliffhanger up ahead! BWHAHAHAHA!)  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Kunzite ~ ~ * *  
  
  
I have her hands cupped in my own and I brush her blonde bangs  
back from her forehead and wonder, yet again, how I could not have seen  
that this would happen. And hating myself for not being able to change  
it. Changing the past was easier than the future - since the future had  
many different possible paths - but it was still not something trivial.  
I had been gathering my powers as soon as I had seen her but Jadeite  
stopped me with a sad shake of his head. I had to listen to him. He was  
the Kuji, and he knew better. I still hate myself for being so  
completely and utterly helpless. If only... but I didn't dwell on it.  
As Garandou I am not allowed to dwell on things because my power will  
change things to please me. Without my consent, of course.  
She stirs a bit and I hold my breath as a small sigh escapes  
her perfect lips and she digs her head deeper into her pillow. I cannot  
imagine life without her. And I promise myself that as soon as she  
wakes up I will tell her of my feelings. I will propose. I think of the  
arm-band in my pocket and know I must ask. I had bought this arm-band  
five years ago and had not developed the courage to actually ask her. I  
also had not the courage to kiss her again. No matter how much I might  
want to.  
My entire life I had never done anything on impulse, except for  
that one moment when she was leaving and I was eighteen and unwilling  
to see her go. I was so ashamed of it that it took me these last ten  
years to get over it. And I just might have lost her before I told her  
that I want to be as impulsive as possible with her. That she's the  
only person in the universe who can make me act without thinking. And  
that it's a good thing.  
That woman was currently being held hostage by the two  
Zen'youkuhikouki and I know that she is being interrogated to no avail.  
I know that she is the harbinger of the Darkness. The beginning of the  
Dark Rule. And I fear for my love.  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Serena ~ ~ * *  
  
  
The last two days have been hell. I look at the Jovian Prince  
once again and almost shake my head in desperation. How my mother could  
ever expect me to get married to such a dimwit is beyond me. Though she  
had solemnly told me that she only wanted me to be nice to the idiotic  
Prince, she had since attempted to get the two of us alone in a room  
at least four times and he had managed to break five vases, three  
chairs (STONE chairs), eight plates and my patience.  
He was impossible. The first thing he asked me when he saw me  
was whether I could put on a light show for him. Then he proceeded to  
tell me that Royalty should never become Mages for it ruined the blood  
lines and made them weak and diluted. I would like to know where these  
ideas came from since they are quite untrue. He then decided to make  
inappropriate comments about my dress, looks and manner of speaking.  
Telling me to sit up straight, wear something besides my robes and try  
to look presentable in front of him. I was about to throw a hot ball of  
fire at him when Hou came in and rescued me.  
That was yesterday. Today became steadily worse. I now must  
have someone with me at all times because I won't be held responsible  
for my actions if I come face to face with that idiot once again.  
I look away from him and to the other people assembled at the  
table. I look at Mina's empty chair and immediately feel remorse. I  
should have gotten there earlier. But I must admit that she had taken  
care of herself quite well. Not many could hurt a Dark Mage so badly  
and still live through it. She would not wake up for at least another  
day but she was recovering. Kunzite would not leave her room and the  
Dark Mage was not being very helpful. She was very beautiful, even for  
a Dark Mage, and was as silent as a statue. She had woken up this  
morning and tried to escape at least twice to no avail. After she  
recognized Hou and I she stopped. I know she isn't stupid and I know  
that she can't escape any prison that Hou and I built for her. Being  
Zen'youkuhikouki has its advantages.  
Prince Rupert Heron is making what sounds like another stupid  
comment and I look at Hou, exasperated. I am thinking about how much  
longer I need to stay before I can excuse myself when a messenger  
hurries in and announces that some visitors have arrived and demand to  
see Her Majesty and the Princess. I frown and wonder who that could be.  
I'm not expecting anyone and, from the look my mother has on her face,  
neither is she. I barely notice Hou disappearing, to check on the  
visitors no doubt, before my mother and I - accompanied by Ami, Rei and  
Lita - make our way down to the docking bay. The Jovian Prince is left  
behind and I certainly am not one to complain about that.  
As the docks come into view I see a tall couple standing  
together and waiting for us. I instinctively reach out to them and am  
so shocked from what I find that I trip and Rei puts out a hand to  
catch me before I fall. My eyes are misting over and I cannot believe  
what my Mage skills are clearly telling me. There, in front of me, is  
a presence that feels like velvet and smells of roses.  
  
I'm in shock. I know that this is what I'm feeling but I can't  
stop it. Married? The love of my life is married? To that horrid woman  
with the beautiful face? I could not believe it, I did not want to  
believe it. Not when his eyes looked at me just as they had eleven  
years ago. And especially not when my heart thumped so hard at seeing  
him once again. The man I am bound to for the rest of my life and no  
matter what happens - that's what my heart keeps telling me.  
I lean against the palace walls and the tears fall silently  
down my face. Shouldn't this be it? Shouldn't my heart get over its  
silly obsession and finally stop this emotion? I think it should. But  
it doesn't. And it hurts.  
I don't even notice Hou as he wipes the tears from my face and  
I barely register his movements until he speaks.  
"That woman is evil. Dark and evil. I do not know what to make  
of her but I do know that she is not someone we want around. And your  
love," I barely hear the sneer in his voice, but it's there, "your love  
is married to her. I don't think we can trust him."  
"Don't say that." The shock is starting to wear off and I'm  
slowly coming back to my normal self. "He is not evil. He probably does  
not know of Dark Mages and cannot have any idea who he is married to.  
He..."  
"Damn it Kou!" I cringe as Hou throws his fist against the wall  
next to my head and leans against it for a minutes, his red eyes  
bearing down into mine. My heart beats faster and I almost feel like  
I'm betraying Darien for feeling this for Hou. How could I be so fickle  
all of a sudden? He notices the feelings that pass through my face and  
I know he understands them. He has known me too long not to understand  
what I think. He leans closer to me then and I'm afraid that if he  
kisses me I'll forget all about Darien and never want to be with him  
ever again. But... was that such a bad thing?  
Hou notices my hesitation and he whispers to me words I thought  
I would never have heard from him ever in my life. "Don't you know that  
I love you?"  
The words hang between us and I stammer. "I... I mean... I..."  
I hang my head and stop talking. I couldn't say anything. When I have  
the courage to look up his eyes are so sad and lonely that I'm about to  
reach out to him. They suddenly slit and he punches the wall once more.  
This time, though, he used his magic and the wall cracked under his  
knucles and fifteen feet of it came tumbling down to the ground as he  
turned around and walked away.  
I did not say anything. I couldn't say anything at all. Not a  
single thing.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
So.... have I made you more interested in the story or what? Are you  
looking forward to the next chapter? I know I'm evil for cutting off  
the chapter right here but... where else would I cut it off? This was  
the only possible place! Please tell me if you enjoyed reading this  
chapter! I love getting e-mails! E-mail me at cfmc@uclink4.berkeley.edu  
with your thoughts! 


	6. Chapter Five

Yes, I have finally written chapter five! And yes, I have gotten  
everyone's e-mails. I've been busy with school and the such and have  
not had the time, nor the effort, to write. To make up for this huge  
time inconvenience, this chapter is stock-full of action and lots and  
lots of things will be going on at once... expect to be confused.  
Chapter Six is, sadly or happily depending on how you look at it, the  
last chapter of the Mage Princess. That chapter is going to be full of  
explanations. Tons and tons of them. I don't doubt that it will be the  
longest chapter yet. But I haven't written it yet (it's still swimming  
along in my brain) so I can't be sure of this. I also do have an  
epilogue that I would like to put up but I'm not sure if I should. I'll  
wait for you all to read the last chapter (the next one) and then tell  
me if you would like an epilogue or not! So please, sit back, relax,  
and enjoy the Mage Princess! ~_^  
  
For all those interested: This series will probably be about 8 parts  
(this includes prologue and epilogue) long. So expect more! ~.^  
  
A few disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon... if I did I would be  
publishing these stories because I would have enough money to do so...  
I'm also an extremely poor college student who has to rely on her  
scholarship to pay off the registration fees so don't sue me... you'll  
get nothing out of it! One more thing: Washi is my character... Hou is  
also my character and I guess that Kou is my character too since she is  
so very different from Serenity ne? ~.^ Anyway I made all of them up so  
don't steal any of them, okie? ^^  
  
New disclaimer: Yuufu, Narcissus, Ohamu, and Abura Kakyuu are also my  
characters. No stealing!  
  
New new disclaimer: Prince Rupert Heron is my character as well! I  
ask for a lot, huh? ^__^  
  
I guess it's on with the story!  
  
The Mage Princess  
  
CHAPTER FIVE  
By: Sailor Berkeley  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Darien ~ ~ * *  
  
  
I finally took myself away from my horrible wife and escaped to  
these gardens where I had once come as a child. The memory of that time  
brings tears to my eyes. The look she had given me is still fresh in  
my memory. The look of absolute shock. Of pain. Hurt. I could never  
face her again.  
I round one of the corners and am instantly on alert. There is  
about fifteen feet of wall lying in rubbles at my feet. If Beryl has  
broken my agreement, I will kill her. That's the first thought that  
comes into my head. That is all I can think of until I see her.  
Princess Serena Serenity is standing next to that rubble and  
there are tears forming trails down her cheeks. My body instantly  
starts to move towards her, as though the love I feel for her ties me  
to her in an inexplicable way. My mind is screaming at me. Telling me  
to stop. To remember my promise. To remember her safety. But I can't  
listen. The bond that I had ignored while on other planets is too  
strong when it's near her. I can't just ignore the strong pull I feel  
towards her. Especially if she's in pain.  
When I'm so close to her that if I reach out I could pull her  
into my arms, she looks up with a stunned look. Her blue eyes are wide  
and full of love. I know that love is for me with a surety that I have  
never known before. My arms reach out of their own accord and pull her  
towards my chest.  
I feel elated. Free. I can't even begin to describe the  
feeling that is coursing through my veins. My heart swells so much that  
I feel it will break my rib cage. My life is perfect for that sweet  
moment. I wonder at her love. How she could love someone like me.  
Someone who left her when she was in need. Who disappeared for eleven  
years and never left any word. My eyes sting and I blink at the tears  
that are falling. I do not deserve her. But I would never give her up.  
Not ever.  
She looks up at me and her eyes are now hopeful. Oh, so hopeful  
that it hurts me. I can't do this. Not to her. Damn Beryl and damn me.  
At my hesitation the bubbles of hope I saw in her start to pop and she  
slowly pulls away from my arms.  
"Da... Prince Endymion. I'm sorry, I..." I put my finger to her  
lips before she can say anymore.  
"Shhh. Don't you know that I love you?" I wipe away a tear from  
her face and then turn around and walk away.  
As I go back the way I came I know that I had just done  
something horrible. Unforgivable. I should never have let her know how  
I feel. It is too dangerous for her. I rush to Beryl. She must not find  
out about this meeting. Serena's life depends on it.  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Serena ~ ~ * *  
  
  
I watch the second man I love walk away from me and sob aloud.  
My hand instantly goes up to cover the sob but I can't help but make  
some kind of sound. This is too much for me. I could never have handled  
it if these two occasions had happened within years of each other, much  
less within minutes!  
And the way their words were so similar. It is vaguely  
disturbing to me. And the way both of them had wiped away my tears. It  
could be a coincidence, but it was a very strange coincidence. The  
words "Don't you know that I love you?" echo in my brain and leave me  
strangely empty but full at the same time. Two men. Two loves. Same  
words. Something about it all is supposed to click. I know it in my  
heart that it should make sense. But it doesn't.  
I wipe away my tears with my Mage robes and call on the Houou  
for help. His warmth takes away some of my sorrow and helps me cope  
with the events that have just occurred. I hear his sweet song and  
smile a little smile. I then direct the Phoenix, and help him pick up  
all the rocks and put them back in place. I open my eyes after what  
seems to me like hours of work, and see that the wall is back up. There  
is a small crack in it, though. I touch it with my hands and know that  
the crack was left on purpose. The Houou had left it. To remind me of  
today and to let me know that nothing is perfect. I feel his approval  
of my conclusion and smile wider. I'm glad that nothing is perfect.  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Minako ~ ~ * *  
  
  
My eyes are having a hard time opening and I know that it's  
because I have been sleeping for at least two days. I slowly blink them  
open as my conscience returns to me and I remember the Mage I had hurt  
so badly with the help of Haneko. His purring body is as warm as ever  
and he looks just like he had before the fight. I, being of matter,  
have a headache that will probably not go away for a couple of days  
and he, being pure energy, is as playful as he ever was.  
I stop looking inside myself since it is forming yet another  
headache behind my eyes and I finally look around my room. I give an  
audible gasp and the body that had been sprawled next to my own sits up  
quickly and holds my hand tightly.  
I have never before seen Kunzite in such a state. His clothes  
are rumpled, his hair is less than perfect and his eyes actually have  
dark circles underneath them. Something I thought I would never see in  
my perfect love.  
I'm about to comment on his appearance when I notice the worry  
and love in his eyes. Love! I can feel it surround me completely. I  
almost expect my body to start vibrating as it does when Haneko purrs  
loudly.  
He raises the hand that is not holding my own to my face and  
slowly touches my cheek, as though he cannot believe that it's me. I  
cup his hand with my own and, with that simple gesture, he reacts.  
I had thought, up to now, that the kiss we had shared on Earth  
all those years ago was extremely passionate but it held nothing to  
this one. It managed to show me love, passion, lust, tenderness, and  
endurance all at once. I know my cheeks are flushed because I can see  
that his are.  
I can only think of one thing: Whatever had brought this about  
was the best thing that had ever happened to me.  
He then reaches into his jacket and pulls out a small bag tied  
with plain white string. My heart beats faster as he unfastens the  
bag and pulls out a gold arm-band with two small hearts engraved on it.  
I recognize it immediately. My mother wears one exactly like it that  
was given to her by my father when they married.  
By Venetian custom, a couple is married when they proclaim  
themselves married. There is no ceremony, no vows taken. The arm-band  
that the man buys for his intended is actually magical. It is made the  
same day that a man falls in love with any Venetian woman. It then sits  
in the Band Keeper's storeroom until the calling of the arm-band is too  
strong for the lover to ignore. No one but Band Keepers know the secret  
of the arm-bands. One thing is certain, when the arm-band is accepted  
by the female Venetian, it binds the two together forever. Which is why  
no ceremony is necessary, and no engagement. As soon as the arm-band is  
accepted the two lovers are married.  
Kunzite knows this as well as I. His lips open and he is about  
to ask me to marry him, but I don't let him. I stop him with a kiss  
that plainly says yes to him.  
And I don't know when the arm-band fastened itself to my arm,  
it did not unfasten - in fact there are no fastenings on it at all -  
but I suddenly feel the weight of it on my arm (exactly halfway between  
my elbow and shoulder) and I know that it will always be there. For as  
long as the two of us are together and in love. And my bond to Kunzite  
is stronger. We are married.  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Lita ~ ~ * *  
  
  
It isn't easy for me to remember a time when I did not have  
Nephrite by my side. He had always been there, ever since I was born  
and probably before that moment as well. He had been assigned to me as  
a child. His family had been the Guardians of the Jovian Princesses for  
centuries and he had been taught, ever since the beginning, that my  
safety was all that mattered. I don't know when exactly this happened  
but, when I was fourteen, I came to realize the fact that Nephrite did  
not only care about my safety anymore. He wanted more than that. He  
wanted my love.  
There were no proclamations. No gestures. No looks. Just a soft  
and growing knowledge of it. I could notice no difference in his  
treatment of me, nor in his regard towards me, but I could feel it.  
Somewhere deep down I could feel it. And that was when Umahaki showed  
himself to me. When the span of his green wings encompassed me and  
left me feeling whole and wanted.  
At that moment, when I found myself with Umahaki, I knew that  
no matter what others said, no matter what happened, I would be with my  
beloved Nephrite for all time. Nephrite, however, was taken away from  
me on that same day. His Gift had been discovered and he went to meet  
the rest of the Hito and I was left alone.  
Those were the most horrible years of my life. No one knew that  
Umahaki had shown himself to me because I was too depressed to allow my  
magical abilities to show themselves. When Serena left for Angreemon  
two years later I would have been sent off too if I hadn't kept Umahaki  
a secret.  
In fact, the only time I was ever even remotely happy was when  
I went into myself and Umahaki would allow me to climb onto his broad  
back and we would fly through the green sky in my mind. I used to grab  
onto his mane and feel its silky caress on my face and somehow become  
immediately happier. Because of this, Umahaki, the Winged Horse, was  
kept a secret and became my own spring of happiness.  
When I turned twenty, six years after Nephrite had left me I  
saw him again. I can recall that moment as easily as I can the color of  
my mother's eyes. Something you don't ever forget.  
He had grown older. I had grown older. But, somehow, we were  
still perfect for each other. Since that moment when his blue eyes met  
my own green ones once again, when we shared everything through that  
single kiss, when his arms encircled me for the first time; I know that  
I could never live without him.  
I close my eyes and gently pet Umahaki's forehead, his green  
coat and emerald eyes are shiny. He winks at me and his teeth bite  
down on my shoulder lightly, playfully. I'm scared of what will happen  
and he understands. He knows I'm tense.  
I open my eyes with a sigh, feeling a little better now. I'm  
sitting on a wooden bench at the Jovian fountain, staring at the  
lightning spilling from its center. Reaching my hand in, the lightning  
quickly spreads into my arms and heads straight for my heart and my  
head. My heart beats faster in response and Umahaki's wings are now  
spread and crackling with more energy. I'm so emerged in the feeling  
that I almost don't hear the footsteps heading towards me. I slowly,  
regretfully, take my hand out of the lightning and look to the person  
who had invaded my private place. Seeing Nephrite's wavy brown hair  
quickly calms that feeling and I sigh softly as he takes me in his arms  
as though it were the first and only time. Every time it's like that.  
Being a Doushi makes him want to live in the present all the time. Like  
there's going to be no tomorrow. Yet another reason I love him so.  
I tilt my head back to look at him and when our eyes meet I  
know. He slowly, reverently, leans over and places a two kisses at my  
temples, two on my cheeks, two on my eyes and finally, one on my mouth.  
I cannot believe that this is happening. I didn't think he would ever  
have done that. A promise of engagement. Kisses at the temple show  
respect for intellect, the eyes demonstrate trust, cheeks demonstrate  
friendship while the mouth is the promise never to kiss anyone else in  
that way while we are both alive. I wait apprehensively. No Jovian ever  
made such a promise without having something magical happen soon after.  
It was a part of the engagement. Even if there were to be no ceremony  
later, the two of us were to act as married forever after this moment.  
Even though I was expecting something to happen, I had no idea  
it would have contained such a joyous feeling. Lightning flew from my  
fingertips into his and, shocked by this, I look down to see that there  
are now five rings, one on each of my fingers, crackling on my right  
hand. Nephrite's hand also carries those same rings and the love I feel  
at that moment is unlike any I have ever felt before.  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Hou ~ ~ * *  
  
  
Of course I had been a fool. Why had I ever said anything to  
her about my feelings? She was still in love with that weakling from  
Earth. I sigh with frustration. She could have said something damnit! I  
feel my fist clench again and slowly let it go. I don't want another  
fifteen feet of wall to lie in rubbles again. Not now. Not when I'm not  
in the mood to fix anything. Only to destroy.  
With that thought in mind I head straight for our captive. It  
would be better for me to take my anger out on her than on anyone else.  
That way, perhaps, something good might come out of this. I arrive at  
the room she is being kept in and know immediately that something is  
very wrong. I instinctly call Kou to me and she is by my side in a  
moment. For a second I'm afraid that she would be apprehensive about  
being near me but that feeling is gone as soon as she looks at me. She  
is all business. She knows the importance of our Mage relationship. She  
would never give that up.  
We both look at the door and I reach for it first, enveloping  
the cold knob in my warm hands. The security that we had built into the  
door searches my hands and, finding the correct pattern of magic,  
unlocks immediately. I had thought that the most I would find would be  
the captive gone. Physically or spiritually. But I was very wrong.  
Kou gasps audibly and both of us stare at the mass of dark  
energy that is crackling at the center of the room. The hatred and pain  
imbedded in that massive ball envelops me and tries to get into me to  
draw from my magic. I panic for a second until the Houou screeches. Not  
once in my single life had I ever heard the screech of the Houou. It is  
an ear-splitting sound. It sliced the dark energy coming towards me in  
half so that the two pieces slid by me at large speeds.  
I had been so speechless and surprised that I had forgotten to  
shut the door behind me. The dark energy is heading towards the door  
and I command the door to close just as the last bit of darkness leaves  
the room. Kou and I look at each other, alarmed.  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Rei ~ ~ * *  
  
  
Jadeite is playing with my hair again. I sigh. I love it so  
much when he does this. I'm not sure why but it just reminds me of  
being a child and of being safe. I'm almost falling asleep when I  
realize that he is humming a song. A very perticular song. My back  
straightens immediately as I also notice that he is weaving my hair  
into a very particular braid. One-two-three-four-five. One-two-three-  
four-five. Over and over again. Five braids and five respective  
sentences for each braid. Feelings jumble within me. I'm partly in  
shock but partly ecstatic. I concentrate on his words.  
"One for your trust. Two for your promise. Three for your  
strength. Four for your understanding. Five for your love."  
He repeats these words as he works on five small braids in my  
hair. One starting near my left ear, one near my left temple, one near  
my right temple, one near my right ear, and one in the middle of all  
the others. I start to chant the words with him. I'm not sure why I do  
this, but it seems necessary. As we do this his fingers work faster and  
the words blur together in such a way that love is the single word that  
we can hear. We stop at the same time as he reaches the bottom of my  
hair. His hands are about to let the braids go when they surround his  
fingers and turn red and hot as flames. I can feel him wince at the  
pain but he doesn't take his fingers away nor make a sound. The flames  
of my hair make their way up his arms and higher, up to his throat  
where they encircle his neck and slowly turn into gold. Around his neck  
there now lies a golden chain with a single black pebble, the identical  
color of my hair. The flames are gone just as suddenly as they appeared  
and I turn to him with tears in my eyes.  
"Why? Jadeite, that was not necessary." I touch his burns  
tenderly. His entire right arm was burned and red from the overheat. I  
knew that they would heal soon since this fire was not made for  
scarring, but it did not have to be done. This was the old ritual in  
Mars. The one that women made the men they married endure because it  
showed strength and valor. In Mars the women are naturally more skilled  
with fire than men are. Withstanding heat and pain are needed in  
Martian men and any man who cried out or drew away from the heat in  
their loved ones was considered not worthy of marriage. But those were  
the old days. That tradition was long gone and was not performed unless  
the woman required it. And I never had.  
He picks up my hand and kisses my palm. "Because I would never  
truly be a part of you unless this had happened." My eyes wince but I  
know that he speaks the truth. It isn't easy to be married to a Martian  
woman, as many men have found out, because of our infamous tempers and  
our ability to throw flames around when we are angered. A man who can  
suffer through this tradition can live with a Martian woman and be a  
part of her complete self. He will have her trust, promise, strength,  
understanding and love. In that small black pebble he carries a bit of  
me. I lost that part of me for him and so we are never to be separated.  
I suddenly lunge forward and envelop his lips in mine. Showing  
him how much this means to me. And how much he means to me.  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Ami ~ ~ * *  
  
  
I love talking about the wedding with Zoicite. Unlike my other  
friends, my marriage will never truly be finished until the ceremony.  
In Mercury, the vows taken during the ceremony must be done in the  
company of friends and family. If this is not done then we could never  
call ourselves married. Zoicite is joking about the amount of water  
that will be wasted at the ceremony when he suddenly stops and listens  
to something. His hand grips mine more tightly and I wait for him to  
tell me what's going on.  
"The Darkness. It has spread."  
I just stare at him, trying to understand what exactly it is  
that he is telling me. But not even at a moment like this can I just  
absorb things slowly. My brain is telling me what to do. To act. To  
make calculations. To solve problems. I hate this feeling, but I must  
endure it. Especially today. I need my brain to help me figure out what  
to do.  
Zoicite puts a hand up to my cheek and I allow it to rest there  
for one second before we both take off running towards the palace. I'm  
about to transform into Sailor Mercury when I feel a force grab me. I  
cry out and try to fight it until I notice that it's just Serena's  
Phoenix magic. I allow it to grab me and find myself inside the palace  
walls with the other Senshi and the Hito standing around the two  
Zen'youkuhikouki.  
I feel the ice surround me and Sailor Mercury is now standing  
in the place of Princess Ami Maia. Kou speaks first.  
"The Darkness has gone free. There's no time to explain right  
now but we can only tell you that, as the Hito probably know, when the  
Darkness escapes it can spread throughout all of time. In other words,  
it is currently in the past, the present and the future all at once. As  
we speak we're sure you can notice this."  
I'm confused by Kou's speech but the Maquin reminds me that the  
Zen'youkuhikouki use that term when they are together in spirit. That  
meant that Kou was actually speaking for Hou because he was speaking to  
her through their link.  
At their words, I look around and notice that the bright white  
marble walls around us are suddenly looking aged and charred. As though  
something evil was trying to taint its beauty and had been trying to do  
so for years. I feel tears coming, but Sailor Mercury stops them. She  
is never as weak as Ami is. Ever.  
"We don't know how to start nor how to go after the Darkness.  
You are all here because we hoped you'd be able to somehow help."  
"I think I might have an idea, Zen'youkuhikouki, if you would  
hear me out." Hou nods at Malachite to continue and we all look at him  
with hope. "The Hito can look through Past, Present and Future to find  
who it is that helped the Darkness spread. This won't be easy now  
because the Darkness has twisted timelines and made things very  
complicated for us. So it will take even more energy than we usually do  
when this is done. We will need to be protected and must not be  
bothered at all until we return from trance or we might never be able  
to come back."  
I gasp and look at Zoicite. If I ever lost him... But no, his  
eyes are telling me that this must be so, and I know it must. I  
strengthen my heart to this as I hear the Zen'youkuhikouki agree to the  
Hito's plan.  
Zoicite briefly touches my face and then joins the other Hito  
in the center of the room. They all close their eyes and the entire  
room is silent. After a couple of minutes we look at each other,  
worried. I had seen this performed once before and it never took this  
long. When the door suddenly creaked open, all of us were ready to  
kill whatever it was that had so foolishly decided to barge into this  
room.  
Prince Rupert steps into the room looking like his usual dumb  
self and we all relax, my ice water withdrawing from my hand into my  
body. "What are you doing here?" I whisper, more irritated than I care  
to show.  
"I was just looking for people." I cringe at the loudness of  
his voice. It echoes down the silent hall. Rei jumps for him  
immediately and covers his mouth.  
"Shh." She whispers. "Go look somewhere else."  
His eyes look scared but he nods slowly and turns to leave. We  
all look to the Hito once again and so are caught completely by  
surprise when black lightning comes flying towards the Hito. Before any  
of us could react, Hou and Kou shield the four men from the attack. The  
black lighting crackles angrily and tries to penetrate the shield,  
which is slowly becoming more flimsy as more and more lightning is sent  
towards it. I turn around and see that behind Prince Rupert is that  
woman, Beryl, the one who had come here with Prince Darien Endymion. I  
shiver as she smiles a wicked smile at me. I don't know when I spoke  
but I'm telling that dolt Rupert to move when he turns to me and his  
eyes are just deep pools of black. I gasp and shrink away a bit. I can  
see the other Senshi coming towards me and the door. He sends black  
arrows towards me and I automatically throw up my ice shields. I sigh  
when I realize that the arrows had broken when they hit the ice. I let  
down the shield in relief. But something is wrong. I look down and see  
a black arrow imbedded deeply in my chest. Rupert, if that really is  
that creature's name, laughs diabolically and I just stare at the arrow  
in disbelief. I can feel blackness take over me and I'm about to allow  
it to do just that when Aipen drew me into myself. I surround myself in  
the ice and watch my breath come out of my mouth. So comfortable. Aipen  
comes towards me and his normally shiny coat has gone dull, his beak is  
open but no comforting sounds come out. I hug him as close as I  
possibly can and feel the knowledge come into me. I stand up and Aipen  
then becomes made of small ice cubes. Tiny little ones. I start taking  
them from him, one by one and start to make an ice sculpture, one that  
is in the shape of a large tear. The blackness is enveloping my small  
haven and it doesn't seem like I'm working fast enough. My Maquin  
abilities have left me completely. I have no idea how much time has  
gone by. It seems like hours. I wonder how everyone else is doing. If  
they are alright. I can't be too much help to them trapped in here. And  
Zoicite. I hope he's alright. I shake my head slowly. No, I can't think  
about that. I need to work. I pick up another ice cube and Aipen shakes  
his wings and makes a small soothing sound. At least I have something  
to do.  
  
  
~ ~ * * Mina * * ~ ~  
  
  
Mercury is looking down at herself in shock. The black arrow  
imbedded deep in her chest is slowly growing larger. Trying to overcome  
her. I rush towards her when she suddenly gives off a bright blue light  
and the arrow crumbles into dust. That same beam of light shoots out of  
her wound and towards Rupert. His eyes grow in surprise but he seems to  
finally get a hold of himself and throws up a dark shield. I know what  
I must do as I gather my own strength and weave my heart once again.  
  
  
~ ~ * * Kou * * ~ ~  
  
  
Hou and I are getting very tired very quickly. The Houou's  
wings are getting weak from being spread around the Hito's bodies for  
so long. I'm almost giving way to despair when suddenly Zoicite  
tentatively touches my mind, startling me. His eyes are still closed  
and I know that he is saving his strength for when all the Hito decide  
to attack.  
'It's that man. The one we call Rupert. He is not really a man  
afterall. I'll explain later. He's the one you want to go after.'  
I look at Hou, who heard the entire thing through our link, and  
he barely nods to me. We must somehow get rid of Beryl to get to that  
creature. Rupert. His name just does not fit anymore. I wonder that it  
calls itself.  
I barely notice that the whole room is softly illuminated by  
four different colors: blue, yellow, red and green, and that my Senshi  
are slowly becoming weaker as the Creature's shields hold firm. I still  
don't know what to do. The Hito cannot attack with our shields around  
them and we in turn cannot take the shields down without them being  
quick enough to dodge Beryl's attack. Suddenly the answer dawns on me.  
I hate to do this but it must be done. It just must.  
I open my mouth and my tongue forms the sounds without thinking  
and without hesitation. "Bakerakkishitenlitsutar." It came out as no  
more than a whisper but as soon as the last syllable is out of my  
mouth he stands there.  
His pink hair is now tinged with a slight red and his eyes have  
no pupils in them so that they are completely white. Those unseeing  
eyes look at me and he nods vaguely. His aura is one of evil, something  
unholy and not right.  
Beryl had been too busy to notice Washi's arrival. That would  
prove her undoing. Washi's attack is clean and simple and encounters no  
resistance. In horror, I notice that he is still sending attack after  
attack onto her body. The Hito are now fully awake and all of us stare  
at this unholy being. Bakerakkishitenlitsutar is not Washi. He is the  
pure magical essence of Washi. No morals. No compassion of any kind.  
Just a body that contains the power to do one's will. My will had been  
to get rid of Beryl. He is doing just so. In a sick and perverted way.  
I almost retch at the sight of my Master. My sweet and caring  
Master becoming this revolting creature. There was no stopping him. He  
will not stop until his obstacle is completely gone. Finally the  
energy is too much for Beryl's body and she screams as she is engulfed  
in mage flames. Bakerakkishtenlitsutar looks back at me with an evil  
grin and disappears.  
For a second none of us can move. Then everything starts  
happening at once. Rupert, that Creature, laughs a loud laugh and I  
watch, horrified, as one by one my Senshi fall to the ground. Without  
warning, the Hito move as one and attack the Darkness from all sides.  
And one by one they fall. I am in shock. I cannot move. Cannot think.  
And then the door opens and in stumbles Darien. Determined,  
thoughtful, sweet, useless Darien. The Darkness turns to him and is  
somehow, for some reason unknown to me, afraid. Before the Darkness can  
do anything, Darien lunges across the room and reaches his hand out  
towards me.  
I am about to put my own out when I notice it is not me he is  
running towards, it is Hou. Hou's own hand is stretched out and the  
two grasp each other and for a second time stops. I see them together.  
Completely different from each other and yet something is so similar  
and so obvious that I can't - quite - put my finger on it. Then that  
moment is gone and where two men stood now stands one. He is Darien in  
every sense of the word. But in his veins now burns the fire of the  
Houou. I can feel it.  
Even as we are preparing to attack I wonder what happened to  
Hou and whether or not he would be coming back. I do not have to wonder  
long. Before my eyes Darien transforms into Hou and takes my hand in  
his.  
I know what to do. Without any words shared or any thought. I  
just know. Inside myself the Houou is slowly getting larger and larger.  
Hou - or was it Darien? - was completely sharing his power with me and  
the Houou forming between us was larger than I had ever seen. We both  
put our hands on each of the Houou's shoulders. I am filled with fire.  
Hot burning fire. The Houou slowly becomes dimmer as his power is  
transferred to us.  
The Darkness was forming its own attack. I could feel the black  
clouds surrounding it attempt to fight its way towards us but the  
Houou's brilliance is no match for the Darkness.  
Hou and I raise our hands at the same time and red and gold  
fire flings itself at the Darkness. It reciprocated with black fire  
that fought its way towards us. A small bead of sweat rolled down my  
forehead and I furrowed my brow in concentration. The Darkness was  
gaining strength. I could not imagine where it was coming from when I  
noticed that my Senshi and the Hito were feeding the Darkness. Their  
powers were being drawn from their still bodies to help defeat Hou and  
I.  
It was then that I remembered. Remembered all the times we had  
spent together. Remembered Ami's fear of her Maquin abilities. Her  
bright eyes as she spoke of Zoicite. Remembered Rei's fiery temper and  
constant worry. The calmness she experienced with Jadeite. Remembered  
Lita's strength and her loneliness. How complete she felt with  
Nephrite. Remembered Mina's love and compassion. Her exasperation and  
passion with Kunzite.  
And at that same moment I knew that no matter what happened, no  
matter what the circumstances, Hou and I would win this. Or die trying.  
I was not surprised when I noticed more power seeping into  
myself. The souls of the Senshi and the Hito were standing around the  
two of us and giving us their power. Their love, support, courage and  
trust burning through me and giving me warmth. I channel all these  
feelings into my attack and feel the Darkness give way. Its face is  
twisted in worry and is finally showing exhaustion. But I know it is  
not enough. What else could be done?  
Hou is looking rather pale and I know that he is a moment away  
from completely falling to the ground, as am I. I would only welcome  
death if I could take the Darkness with me. If I could save my friends  
and my love I would pay any price. And it was at that moment that my  
Moon sigil started to glow with an incredible light.  
Floating in front of me was the Ginzuishou. The Moon Crystal. I  
slowly reach out to it and cup it in my palms. I bring it to my face  
and then blow softly on it. My hot breath stirs the magic inside the  
Crystal and the white light it shoots out is intermixed with red and  
gold.  
I'm not sure what exactly happened, only that I heard an  
earsplitting scream and then the Creature once again became a dark ball  
of energy which blew up from inside, white, red and gold lines shooting  
through from the center of it. Each small bit of Darkness that erupted  
out of that ball was thrown in different directions throughout the  
Universe.  
I then make my wish. I know, as well as every other Queen and  
Princess of the Moon knows, that I would die now. But that my wish  
would come true. I already felt the sharp tuggings of death at the edge  
of my soul and I wished for the safety of my friends and love. For my  
two loves.  
I was almost completely fading away from existence when a soft  
chuckle kept me for a while longer.  
"If you think the Houou would ever allow me to take you away I  
believe you are seriously mistaken."  
I do not know what to say. I don't have enough strength to  
speak, but I feel I must. "Who are you?"  
The chuckle again. "Dense child. The Ginzuishou of course. Oh I  
know plenty well I'm just a Crystal." I could almost feel as though it  
was rolling its eyes. If a Crystal could do such a thing. "I used to be  
Winged Energy. Just like the Houou, Unamaki, Aipen, Hinekami and  
Haneko. I was... do you know... I don't even remember anymore." Another  
chuckle. "As it is, you will not die child, rest easy. So morbid, are  
we? I'm not as bloodthirsty as your ancestors may claim. The one time  
that my bearer dies after using me and what happens? Everyone in the  
universe is making up stories about death and wishes! Hmph!"  
"Oh." I do not know how to respond to this. I never knew the  
Ginzuishou could talk. "Do I still get my wish?"  
"Of course you do. I'm not completely heartless. Though you  
will feel much the worse for wear. Just a warning. It feels good to  
finally be able to speak to a bearer. I've been so bored the last few  
centuries. I doubt I will be speaking to you anytime again, either. No  
matter. I'll just wait for the daughter."  
Before I can ask the Crystal what it meant by that, I fall into  
a comforting silence where the Houou keeps watch over me.  
  
  
~ ~ * * Hou * * ~ ~  
  
  
I hold onto her naked cold form in the same pond we had stood  
in what seemed like ages ago and hope. Nothing happens. I hold her  
tighter than ever and still the pond just mirrors our reflection. Her  
arms limp by her side and my tears burning hot paths down my cheeks and  
into her hair.  
My mind is screaming at me. How could I have let her do this?  
Why did I allow her to use that damn Crystal? I knew this would have  
happened and yet I had done nothing to stop her.  
My body is heaving huge sobs now and I can hardly breathe for  
despair. She couldn't be dead. She just couldn't. The Houou is quiet  
and I wonder why. I look inside myself and can't find him anywhere. Now  
I start to panic.  
Then I notice it. A small trail of red light lingers and I  
follow it deep into my mind. To a place I had never been before. And I  
see them. Both of the Houou becoming one. Merging with themselves.  
I almost jump when the limp arms encircle me with newfound life  
and I look into those blue eyes once again. They are as bright as ever  
and full of love. The love I live for if only for this moment. Even if  
it never came again I would be happy with this much. Just this much.  
And we kiss and I suddenly know. Know that she loves me with  
all her heart. We draw away slowly and the fire is gone from the pond.  
With the fire goes my body and I am once again just Prince Terrence   
Titan Darien Endymion of Earth.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Who is confused? Raise your hand if you are! MWHAHAHA! My mission in  
life is complete... now I can die in peace. Not quite. I promise an  
explanation will arrive. Lots of explanations. Loads and loads of  
explanations. Enough to make you tear out your hair and scream. Please  
no more! NO MORE! Errr... heh. Please tell me if you enjoyed reading  
this chapter! I love getting e-mails! E-mail me at  
cfmc@uclink4.berkeley.edu with your thoughts! 


	7. Chapter Six

I would first like to apologize to all fans of The Mage Princess for  
taking so long in writing this last chapter. I have been extremely  
busy and could not write as often as I wished. However, I still loved  
writing this story and enjoyed the full 16 months that it was a part  
of my life. I hope to continue with these characters in later stories  
but that is not certain. I hope that this ending is up to everyone's  
standards and that it answers all the questions everyone seemed to have  
about the story. Please let me know if you want an Epilogue... if you  
answer yes I'll just have to warn you that it means a continuation of  
this story... if not it can just end right here. ~.^ I'm very happy  
with the huge amount of positive reviews I received and with the fact  
that people seemed to truly care about Hou/Darien and Kou as Chapter  
Five came into being! I hope that the end satisfies all of my fans! ^^  
  
A few disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon... if I did I would be  
publishing these stories because I would have enough money to do so...  
I'm also an extremely poor college student who has to rely on her  
scholarship to pay off the registration fees so don't sue me... you'll  
get nothing out of it! One more thing: Washi is my character... Hou is  
also my character and I guess that Kou is my character too since she is  
so very different from Serenity ne? ~.^ Anyway I made all of them up so  
don't steal any of them, okie? ^^  
  
New disclaimer: Yuufu, Narcissus, Ohamu, and Abura Kakyuu are also my  
characters. No stealing!  
  
New new disclaimer: Prince Rupert Heron is my character as well! I  
ask for a lot, huh? ^__^  
  
New new new disclaimer: Gosh there's a lot! The Ryuu, Kouryou, and Taka  
are also mine!  
  
I guess it's on with the story!  
  
The Mage Princess  
  
CHAPTER SIX  
By: Sailor Berkeley  
  
  
* * ~ ~ Darien ~ ~ * *  
  
  
I reach over to encompass the warm body beside my own and bring  
that warmth closer to me. Her contour fits mine perfectly and she gives  
a little sigh and smiles in her sleep as I bury my face in her golden  
hair. I breathe in deeply and am rewarded by the sweet smell of her. It  
is hard to explain what it is exactly. A mixture of sweet air, violets  
and cinammon all in one. I touch her mentally and am rewarded by that  
same smell in tenfold as well as the soft touch of silk.  
I'm not sure what I did to deserve this gift from the Gods but  
I cannot imagine life without her. I don't know how I was deemed worthy  
enough to keep her forever but somehow I passed the unspoken test to  
become what I did. To be able to be next to her. She had gone through  
so much. And so much of that would have not happened if it weren't for  
me and my stupidity. I shake my head and sigh as I fall asleep and the  
memories take hold of my dreams once again.  
  
  
I turned around and grabbed my cousin by the waist to twirl her  
around. Her green eyes sparkled at me and I couldn't believe that she  
had come. She was supposed to be in Titania visiting some kind of  
ambassador and had told me she would not be coming to the Moon. Yet  
here she was, ready to be introduced to the girl of my dreams. The one  
I intended to marry. I gave her a light peck on the cheek and she  
swatted me away playfully.  
"Daria, I would like to introduce you to Princess Serena  
Serenity of..." But before I could finish my sentence I knew she was  
gone. I could feel it. I turned my head anyway, my magic could be lying  
to me. It never had before but perhaps this one time it had. I saw the  
last remaining traces of white light surrounding the air where she had  
stood and my heart audibly broke.  
  
  
I try to wake up from the nightmare, knowing that I would not  
be able to. I would have to sit through it all and remember every  
little detail before I would be allowed to open my eyes. I frown in my  
sleep as the next part of my nightmare begins.  
  
  
Three months had passed since the girl of my dreams  
disappeared from my life and I still could not eat or sleep. She was in  
my every waking thought. No matter where I went or what I did I heard  
the laughter of a six year old child, saw the big azure eyes of a  
thirteen year old young girl and caught the golden twinkle of her hair  
in the corner of my eyes.  
My parents had begun to worry. They tried to do everything to  
entice me out of my comatose state but nothing worked. I was too  
imbedded in my own misery to be able to see the people around me.  
Therefore I was as shocked as my parents when High Mage Taka,  
the Hawk - the Zen'youkuhikouki, himself came to Earth.  
  
  
On that day I had been lying perfectly still on my bed, eyes  
closed and brows furrowed together. The red magic surrounding me burned  
stronger and actually pained me as I tried to stretch it as far as it  
could go. I wanted to reach her. To at least mentally touch her for a  
split second before never seeing her again. As my mental self was  
propelling itself through the upper atmosphere of the Earth, I felt the  
sharp tuggings at my mind - the physical restraint of my body calling  
me back. I fought it, knowing full well the risks of being too far from  
my body with the undeveloped magic I wielded at the time. If I were to  
strain the link my mind held with my body for too long, and without  
the large amount of magic it would take to have me return, the two  
would separate themselves completely. If that were to happen I would  
never be able to return into my body and my mind would lose all its  
knowledge of a physical entity thus joining the universal power flow  
and losing all identity.  
I had read this in many books. I had heard horror stories of  
mental callings gone awry, but at that moment I did not care. I needed  
to see her at least one more time. Even at the cost of my own body. I  
pushed myself farther, coming closer and closer to the great white rock  
circling the Earth as I could feel our connection growing stronger. I  
could feel her getting closer to me.  
With my mind screaming at me to return and the link between my  
physical and mental self growing dim, I rushed on towards my goal. I  
stretched out a mental hand as I realized that she was beginning to  
notice my impeding arrival. As her presence was about to notice my own  
I heard a screech so high it rivaled anything I had ever heard before.  
A red blur whizzed past me and blocked my view of her.  
At first I did not see what stood in my way. I tried to  
struggle past the obtrusion but failed. Not only was I too weak by this  
time, the red shape in front of me was as solid as a stone wall. I  
raged at it, threw any last bit of magic I had in store at it before I  
stopped and noticed what was standing there.  
A Phoenix. The ancient Winged Magic. Its ruby eyes caught my  
own and I could not move. Suddenly I was extremely ashamed of myself as  
I caught a glimpse of its pity. I broke down at that moment and the  
Houou gathered me in his Wings and carried me back down to Earth. Back  
to my body. Back to my miserable self.  
When I regained consciousness I was once more in my own room,  
staring at the same grainy ceiling I had been staring at only hours  
ago. At first I had no idea why I had such a blinding headache but the  
memories came rushing back and a tear slipped down my cheek. I was so  
close. So close to her.  
"And what would you have done then?"  
I jumped up at the voice and grabbed my head as I did so. That  
really hurt. I closed my eyes tightly and did not open them until my  
vision returned once more. Once I opened my eyes I had to blink a  
couple more times to believe what I was seeing.  
In front of me was the tallest man I had ever met in my entire  
existence. Standing at seven feet and a half, with golden brown eyes  
and a face consisting of sharp angles, was High Mage Taka, the  
Zen'youkuhikouki.  
"What would you have done, heh? Wandered forever the vast  
universe with no identity and no soul? Doomed to the spirit world  
forevermore?" He shook his head and his long brown hair rose and fell  
and I briefly saw the shape of wings in his hair before they  
disappeared from sight. "And what would the Houou do, without his  
Chosen One?" He paused and looked at me admonishingly. "Very selfish of  
you, Darien Endymion. Very selfish indeed."  
"How was I to know about the Houou? And what would I care about  
that anyway? My life is over. I do not want anything to do with anyone  
anymore." I realized my words sounded childish even as they were  
leaving my mouth, but I did not stop them. I feel ashamed, now, to  
recall those words. But I was young then. And I wanted to sound  
childish for once. To vent out my anger at the world. To keep myself  
sane by doing so.  
The Zen'youkuhikouki sighed and softly put his hand on my  
furrowed brow. "Had I the power to do so, I would forever keep you from  
the clutches of the Houou. Even if he means well."  
I was surprised, and my eyes showed it. Even now I cannot  
believe he had said that. A High Mage wanting to keep another Mage from  
developing his powers is a rare sight. And a difficult thing for any  
Mage to say since it is a feeling that will take a Mage further and  
further into the Darkness.  
He took his hand away and I missed the warmth it had brought. I  
realized then that he had used his magic to relieve me of my headache.  
"What am I to do? I will not go be a High Mage. I cannot. I am  
too depressed to be of any help to the Houou." In my head I heard the  
Phoenix's sad cry, his eyes dull and small.  
High Mage Taka sat down on the chair next to my bed and drew  
his hands together. "What if I were to tell you that there is a way for  
you to continue living without the Houou and for the Houou to continue  
living with you?"  
I frowned. "That is impossible. If the Houou were to be with me  
I would not be able to get away from him. What are you saying?"  
The High Mage looked away from my curious eyes and refused to  
look at me as he answered me.  
"There was a time, long ago, when there was only one Winged  
Magic. Only one person able to wield that magic per lifetime. Only One  
Dragon." I nodded my head. I had heard this story before. But I allowed  
him to continue uninterrupted. I wanted to know where he was going with  
this. "Tired of living alone, the Dragon was not an easy Magic to  
wield. He was angry, irritable, and tended not to listen to commands.  
This went on for millenia. Until the day that the Dragon came to find  
himself in the body of a young girl. Her name was Kouryou and her life  
was devoted to the Ryuu. She loved him with all her heart, a feeling  
that the Ryuu - the Dragon - had never experienced. Sadly, although  
Winged Magic have feelings and thoughts of their own, they cannot take  
on physical form. In that way the love the Ryuu and Kouryou had for  
each other could never be consumated. The Ryuu grew so angry that not  
even Kouryou could reach him, try as she may. It is said that one day,  
going mad from his inability to physically touch Kouryou, the Ryuu grew  
so angry that fire flew from his mouth. Fire so strong and pure that it  
went through Kouryou's body and split her in half. That was how the  
Houou was made. Kouryou's two halves became Kou, the Female Phoenix,  
and Hou, the Male Phoenix. After that day the Ryuu was never again  
seen."  
I had heard the tale of Kouryou and her impossible love many  
times. She was a legend. The woman from whom all Winged Magic was born.  
In their lifetime, Hou and Kou were able to produce other Winged Magic  
and were said to have been lovers. They both died at the age of 4,000.  
That was 17,700 years ago. Not a single Houou had been seen since then.  
'Until me.' A voice inside said. 'Yes, until me.' I replied.  
"You have not heard the whole story, however." At this my ears  
perked up. How had I not heard the whole story? It was common  
knowledge. Even now, this story is known by everyone. It has become a  
legend. "You haven't heard the whole story because only the  
Zen'youkuhikouki is given the whole story to keep in secret. The fact  
that I'm telling you this now breaks a very old tradition." High Mage  
Taka sighed. "I hope that explains to you why I'm hesitant to tell  
you." He smiled slightly before continuing.  
"Kouryou, unlike the story says, was not split in half. She was  
split into four. You see, the Ryuu is so strong that his magic is the  
equivalent of the two Houou put together. He is the equivalent of Hou  
and Kou. Kouryou by herself, however, was a human with special powers.  
Powers given to her by her home planet of Alieta. A Planet that was  
destroyed eons ago. When the Ryuu split Kouryou he made her into four  
humans. Two with all of the Ryuu's magic and two with no magic at all.  
The other two humans were Ryuu and Kouryou, their love lasting through  
the searing of magic and making them two normal human beings."  
My head was swimming with this new information. Four people? It  
made more sense. Why would the Ryuu spend all of his energy to never  
see Kouryou again? Of course he must have done it for a purpose and not  
because he went mad. I wondered why High Mage Taka was telling me this  
when it finally hit me. "Do you mean that I could separate myself from  
the Houou and become a normal human?" My voice squeaked as the words  
came out.  
The Zen'youkuhikouki nodded solemnly. I absorbed this slowly. I  
looked inside myself and saw the Houou there looking at me solemnly and  
sadly, his eyes dull from the pain of separation. I felt it too. The  
pain would be enormous. I had only had the Houou inside of me for a  
couple of hours but I still felt as if I could never live without him.  
I also knew, however, that in the state I was currently in I could  
never learn to become Hou. It would never work. And in that moment I  
made my decision as I nodded at High Mage Taka and he raised his hands  
to my temples.  
I have never since felt pain so strong in my life. The Houou  
screeched in agonization and fear as he tried to hold onto me and my  
mind. I was sobbing uncontrollably, screams that could be heard all  
over the castle tearing out of my throat. My mother and father told me  
later that they tried to get into my room but the door would not budge.  
Nothing could open it.  
I felt as if my heart was being torn out of my body while I was  
still alive. The Houou had his claws strongly gripping me and High Mage  
Taka was softly whispering to him, telling him to let me go. To let it  
happen. This went on for what seemed like years. If I think of it I can  
still feel the searing pain as though a dormant scar is slowly waking  
up. I could not imagine a life without the Houou and I started to doubt  
my decision. But it was too late. With one final scream and a screech  
from the Houou, he was gone. All I had left was my Earth magic. The  
magic I have always had. It tried to nurture me, to fill me with its  
golden light but it was not enough. The fire of the Houou was gone and  
it could never be replaced. I collapsed on the bed, tears running  
uncontrollably down my face. High Mage Taka fell to the chair, his  
skin pale and clammy. And on the floor, curled up into a ball was a  
seventeen year old boy with red hair and red eyes who had the fire of  
the Houou running through his veins.  
  
  
I don't know how long I spent trying to recover from that  
traumatic moment. I don't know if I ever did recover. All I remember  
next is the loneliness and the pain and the sorrow. The lack of the  
Houou together with the lack of Serena was driving me deeper and deeper  
into depression.  
So it was not surprising that when Beryl of Elandia showed up  
in my kingdom I was more than happy to share my life with her. We were  
engaged after only 3 days. My parents were upset because they could not  
see why we could not wait. I knew I didn't love Beryl, but I was lonely  
and I needed someone.  
The day before our wedding brought with it a feeling of  
uneasiness. Beryl had shown, over and over, her horrible nature but I  
had been too engrossed in my own self pity to have seen it. When I  
finally noticed it, it was too late. She had me in her claws.  
  
  
Beryl of Elandia was a beautiful girl. She had been born a  
halfling, her mother a Lorean cat and her father an Earthling man.  
All Lorean cats are female so they depend on the Corsean wolves to  
procreate. Once a year the whole population of the Lorealis planet  
migrates to Corsealis for a week to mate with the male Corsean wolves.  
This migration is very dangerous because the Corsean female wolves hate  
the Loreans who steal away their males for that week. Violence is not  
uncommon and many Loreans die in the process. Beryl's mother, Vejur,  
was about to get killed by a Corsean female when Shackom - an Earthling  
man on vacation at Corsealis - saved her and brought her to Earth.  
The two had one daughter, Beryl, a girl who looked human enough  
but whose skin was a lavender color and whose teeth contained a small  
set of fangs. People journeyed from all over to see the halfling and  
gawk over her face and body. In time she demonstrated an affinity to  
magic and began to take lessons from a visiting Mage. No one knew then  
that this visiting Mage was becoming a Dark Mage.  
Being young and inexperienced, Beryl was easily converted by  
her teacher into the Darkness. She was a vain little thing, knowing  
full well the power her beauty held over men. The Darkness knew then  
that Serena was a threat. And he knew that I would die to protect her.  
So he sent Beryl of Elandia to get rid of me. If I had only known this  
then. I could have saved so much pain and suffering. But this was not  
to be.  
  
  
The night before the wedding I had a dream. It was a very  
strange and unnerving dream, and one that I can recall rather readily  
even now. My dream started as a normal dream. I was walking around the  
woods that surround my castle, my four bodyguards surrounding me and  
keeping me company. Little did I know then that those four were the  
Hito, the ones destined to control time. I was joking with my friends  
when suddenly the four of them disappeared and I was in a place I had  
never seen before. It was a room, but not really a room. More like a  
space. A red space. I could tell it was incredibly hot in there, the  
temperatures reaching to more than 600 degrees, but I was comfortable.  
The heat did not affect me at all. I sat and pondered this when a  
figure began to take shape ahead of me. A man with dark red hair and  
the most incredible green eyes stood in front of me. I stood and stared  
at those emerald eyes for I have no idea how long. Mesmerized. I shook  
my head and broke eye contact when I realized that he was smiling at  
me.  
"You don't look at all like I imagined you." Although his voice  
was at a normal tone and level, it was impossible not to notice the  
power behind that voice. I could almost detect a bit of a roar  
underneath his calmness and amusement. I didn't know what to make of  
it so I could not respond.  
His smile grew wider. I remember noticing, in my dream, that  
he had a lot of teeth. It's a strange thing to remember, I know, but  
nevertheless I remember that detail very clearly.  
"Well, there's still hope I guess. She is definitely better  
looking." I frowned. This was getting a bit insulting. Plus, who the  
hell was he talking about anyway? I opened my mouth to ask but was  
stopped by the sound of his laughter. I had to cover my ears for that.  
The sound ripped right into my soul. It was merry and horrid at the  
same time. My bones shook as his laughter rumbled and I winced.  
"No matter. I really did not mean to insult you." He smiled  
even wider and I tried not to stare at his teeth once again. "What I  
really want to do is warn you. I hate doing this. I feel like some sort  
of fairy godmother." He stopped for a second. "Or godfather." He  
laughed again as I winced once more. He took a deep breath before  
continuing. "If you can't tell, I don't get out much." The smile again.  
What a strange sense of humor. "But that is not the point of our  
conversation today. I need to talk to you about this woman you are  
planning on marrying." Suddenly his voice was serious and became as  
hard as a stone. All of his old merriment was gone and I started to  
miss it as I noticed how cold his eyes became.  
I finally ventured a word. "Beryl?" I had no idea why he wanted  
to speak to me about her, but I was willing to listen. And I doubt I  
could have gotten away even if I wanted to.  
"Yes. Beryl of Elandia. You must not marry this woman. She is a  
Dark Mage, and she will attempt to destroy you as well as the ones you  
love if you let her get too close. She is not trustworthy."  
I was shocked. Beryl was the sweetest woman I had ever met. But  
even as that thought came into my head, I remembered the one time I had  
seen her deal with servants and the way she snapped at them and how  
they cowered away when she walked into a room. I frowned. Why had I not  
noticed this before?  
"She has been keeping you under a spell, I'm afraid." I look up  
at his words. "And she will be able to make this spell stronger and  
stronger the longer you stay with her. If you marry this woman our  
chances of survival will not be very good."  
"Survival? What will she do?"  
"She will bring with her the Darkness. She will unmake Light.  
She will destroy Winged Magic and throw the entire universe into  
upheaval. She will destroy you."  
I winced as the words were spoken. His voice was getting louder  
and louder but he was moving further and further away. When the last  
word left his mouth he was so far away from me that I could barely  
make out his emerald eyes. I knew he was going to leave me then.  
"Who are you?" I yelled after him, hoping to receive an answer  
before he completely disappeared.  
The words slowly came back to me but they were so jumbled and  
so low that I could not make them out. That was when I woke up to find  
Beryl's eyes staring into my face.  
I jumped up then, scared and out of breath. Her red eyes were  
gleaming and the set of fangs she carried peaked out as she smiled. I'm  
afraid to say that I actually stuttered as I spoke her name. I was only  
rewarded by a wider and more horrible smile.  
"Tsk tsk tsk." She shook her head as she shook her finger at me  
in a way that made me gulp hard. "We have been snooping, haven't we?"  
"I have no idea what you're talking..."  
"Stop acting the fool, Darien." She snapped. "Don't think for a  
minute that I am one either. I know you have broken free from my spell.  
How did you do it? It was impossible to detect."  
I looked at her rebelliously. There was no way I was going to  
tell her anything. And there was also the fact that I had no idea how  
it happened either. But I wasn't about to let Beryl know that.  
"Never mind. I don't care. We are to be married today in any  
case."  
"You are quite mistaken if you think I will be marrying a  
monster such as you." I spit this out at her, my eyes showing all of my  
hatred. I could not believe I had fallen for her trap. Had fallen into  
any spell that this horrid woman had cast.  
Her eyes slit at my insult. "You are the one who is mistaken,  
my darling husband-to-be. I am sure that you will beg me to marry you  
once you hear my news." Her sinister smile was back and I shivered.  
"What news?"  
"Oh nothing important, I suppose. Just a little something I  
heard about that little Moon brat."  
At those words I jumped up and grabbed her shoulders, squeezing  
them painfully. She only laughed at me as I left bruises on her perfect  
skin. She suddenly stopped and looked at me with cold eyes.  
"Your little girlfriend has just gone and found some Winged  
Magic inside of herself. Some Houou Winged Magic. She is soon to be  
leaving for Angreemon to begin her training."  
"You lie." I squeezed her shoulders even more painfully,  
wishing to silence her words.  
"You know I am not lying."  
I let go of her shoulders and looked at my hands for a moment.  
It was true. I could feel it. Somewhere deep inside of me something was  
whispering the truth to me. I brought my eyes up to Beryl's face and my  
eyes burned with anger.  
My words came out strained. "Why would that matter?"  
She laughed as I clenched my fists in rage. "You know why it  
matters. You know how dangerous Winged Magic is and how many accidents  
occur in Angreemon. I have plenty of friends there, I wouldn't even  
have to lift a finger." She slit her eyes at me as her voice grew even  
colder than before. "And don't think that I wouldn't do it. You know  
very well that I would. I will have your precious princess killed very  
slowly and painfully if you do not marry me."  
As I was listening to her words I was formulating a plan. A way  
to get in touch with Serena and let her know of Beryl's involvement. If  
only I still contained the Houou inside of me. I sighed mentally.  
Serena was Kou then. And Hou, the red-headed boy, was off to be with  
her for eternity. They would be bound together by the Houou, that much  
I was certain of. I should have kept the Houou inside of me. That way I  
would now be able to stay with Serena. Suddenly I knew the answer to my  
problems: Hou. I had to get in touch with Hou. My magic most likely  
could reach him. He was a part of me and so contained some of my aura.  
I could definitely reach him rather easily. I was about to close my  
eyes when I felt nails digging into my arm.  
"Don't even think about it. You will never be able to reach her  
before I stop you. I am much stronger than you are, and you better  
remember that. I don't think that your pathetic Earth magic could get  
you very far. And just to make sure you never do any such thing..."  
Before I could stop her, Beryl threw up a wall of solid brick  
inside of my head. I could not reach my magic no matter how hard I  
tried. All I gained was a terrible headache and a feeling of hatred  
stronger than any I had ever felt before.  
I was powerless. No, worse. I was in Beryl's clutches.  
  
  
The next years were a blur. I do not remember them now, nor do  
I wish to remember them. I went to various planets, travelled all over  
the Solar Galaxy as well as hundreds more. We would not stay in one  
place very long lest I start trusting someone and let word of my mental  
imprisonment escape. I did not do much during those years, mostly I sat  
and thought of Serena and wondered whether she ever thought of me.  
I tried to stay out of Beryl's way. I did not want to so much  
as speak with her and kept any contact at a bare minimum. She made me  
uneasy and I could tell that her powers were growing by the day. I had  
no idea how she was achieving that kind of power until one evening when  
we were in Neptune.  
  
  
On that night Beryl had left me alone in the room and, as  
usual, I went into the gardens to think. Gardens had become my refuge  
and solace. Each castle's garden was unique and beautiful in its own  
way. The fire flowers of Mars, the ice fountains of Mercury, the  
lightning streaked dirt of Jupiter; they were all beautiful. Neptune's  
garden ranked very high on my list, though. In Neptune each individual  
flower was made up of different colors of salt. Even the trees were  
made of salt. This wasn't normal salt, it was hard and crystalline, and  
it glittered in the light. In the middle of the garden there was a sea.  
It sounds strange, and I barely believed it myself when I first saw it,  
but it is true. By some magic unknown to me, one was able to see all  
the way to the deepest bottom of this sea. There were great whales and  
dolphins, huge fish that glowed in the dark and eels that would play  
with your hand if you dipped it in. And all throughout this sea multi-  
colored seaweed swayed in the currents. It was beautiful and  
mesmerizing. I could sit and watch it for hours. The Princess of  
Neptune and I met each other there often. We would watch the sea before  
us and would not speak at all. Often we would sit there all night long.  
On this particular evening, however, Princess Michiru Thesea  
was in Uranus visiting the woman she would later marry, Princess  
Haruka Tiran. So I sat alone in the dark. I guess that is why they did  
not notice my presence.  
I watched as Beryl sat down and started to meditate. I was  
about to leave, for I did not want to be around her any more than was  
absolutely necessary, when something stopped me. I looked at her and  
noticed that a black cloud had surrounded her. Thinking that this was  
unusual, I ducked down and watched her from the shadows.  
Suddenly Beryl's eyes flashed open and looked straight at me. I  
froze and felt my heart beat faster. It took me a few moments to notice  
that she did not see me. She wasn't even there. It was as if another  
entity had taken over her body. Her red eyes turned deep black, the  
whites of her eyes completely taken over by darkness. Her hair seemed  
to have a life of its own as it rose above her and hovered, wavering,  
in the air. Evil in its purest form surrounded and entered Beryl of  
Elandia. I shivered and cowered down. As pathetic as it sounds, I  
almost whimpered. I had never before seen Evil with my own eyes. It was  
a horrid sight and one that I wish I could forget.  
When I finally took control of myself I noticed that Beryl's  
lips were moving. I strained my ears to hear her. "... Not yet,  
Master."  
"Then you must work harder to find one." This voice came out  
of Beryl's lips, but it was not her voice. The Darkness, the Evil,  
surrounding her had somehow taken over her body to speak with her. I  
had read about Soul Speaking, but had never actually seen it performed  
before. It was not a necessarily evil thing, High Mages used it often  
to speak to the spirits of the past. The hard part, and the dangerous  
one, was convincing the spirit to leave. If a High Mage of too low a  
rank attempted to Soul Speak, he might find his body taken over by the  
spirit and his own soul left to wander the universe, bodiless.  
Eventually, the soul would either join the universal flow or  
unknowingly terrorize poor pasamages who would not understand why a  
ghost was suddenly appearing among them. The Darkness' voice slowly  
came back to me.  
"... if you do not find me a body I will not be able to  
accomplish my plans."  
"Yes, Master."  
"Don't fail me, Beryl. I will be very disappointed if you do.  
I would also keep an eye on that Earthling." I froze when I heard those  
words. Had he seen me? No, he really was concerned about me, or at  
least about my abilities. I frowned. I had no magic. Why would I matter  
to him? "He is a threat to me. He and the Other. Make sure you keep  
that situation under control."  
"Of course, Master," she replied as she closed her eyes.  
I slowly slid deeper into the shadows and back to the castle  
when I saw Beryl's eyes close, it meant that she was getting out of her  
trance.  
The Darkness' last words made no sense to me but I had plenty  
of time to figure them out, or so I hoped. If I had any idea how little  
time I had before those words made sense, I would have spent more time  
pondering their meaning. Sadly, this was not to be.  
  
  
Even though much of that conversation had made no sense to me,  
that night I learned how Beryl was able to yield so much power so  
quickly: She was using the Darkness as a continuous power supply. There  
was no other explanation for it. That also meant that she was becoming  
a bigger threat than I had ever expected her to be.  
  
  
We were in Mars a few weeks later. I did not see the Darkness  
during that time but I knew that Beryl still conferred with it when she  
wasn't around me. Nothing unusual was brought to my attention during  
that time except for the one visit Beryl received from another Dark  
Mage whose name I later learned was Narcissus. He came one day and the  
two sat in her room for three hours before he left again. I did not  
spend any time in his company nor did I hear what they spoke of. Our  
lives almost went back to normal before Beryl had another visitor. This  
time it was a woman whose eyes showed fear and whose face was contorted  
with pain. I caught only a glimpse of her before Beryl noticed me and  
had me removed from the room. I did not see her again. I was surprised  
when Beryl later told me we were to go to the Moon. Surprised and  
angry. She had promised me never to hurt Serena as long as I stayed  
away from her, and I had stayed away. Until this day I hadn't gone  
anywhere near Serena, and yet Beryl was now bringing us closer than we  
had ever been. It puzzled me exceedingly and I quickly became nervous  
and upset. Any events that surrounded me until the moment that I saw  
Serena on the Moon and she looked at me with pain in her eyes have  
blurred since then. Only now, years later, can I piece together some of  
the things that occurred around me, but they still aren't, and probably  
never will be, completely clear.  
  
  
The scared girl that arrived on Mars that day later became the  
Dark Mage who attacked Princess Mina Dione and prompted Mina to use her  
Winged Magic for the first time. Narcissus had found the girl as a body  
for the Darkness. She became the victim of a Soul Capture. Her weak  
will had allowed the Darkness to conquer her mind rather easily and  
keep her soul trapped behind a cage. However, because she was so weak,  
the Darkness' magic could not be used in full, which is why Mina had  
been able to defeat her with a single spell.  
The next few events are still not understood in full by anyone  
except, perhaps, the Hito. I only know that Beryl somehow killed  
Narcissus before we left for the Moon. He had left the Moon and stopped  
in Kinmoku where Beryl met him and brought him back to Mars before  
killing him. I have no idea why this happened. Perhaps Beryl did not  
enjoy Narcissus' growing powers or the fact that he had been in  
Angreemon for years before he had become Dark. I cannot even begin to  
imagine her reasons for killing him because by that time Beryl had  
become almost completely Evil. Solely preoccupied with herself, Beryl  
would not allow anyone to stand in the way of her goals, and her  
ultimate goal was to rule the universe next to the Darkness.  
Soon after Narcissus' death Beryl learned of the Darkness'  
capture and imprisonment. She looked for a new body to replace the  
girl, whose name I never found out, and found a perfect candidate in  
Prince Rupert of Jupiter. His mind was weak willed but his body was  
strong and he was arrogant, a necessary component to performing a  
successful Soul Capture.  
From what I understand, Prince Rupert had no idea that he was  
going to be used as the Darkness' holder until the Darkness actually  
got a hold of him. After Kou and Hou mistakenly left that door open and  
allowed the Darkness to escape, Prince Rupert Heron had been forced by  
Beryl into our quarters and he subsequently had his body taken by the  
Darkness.  
I had been hiding in the shadows when I saw that mass of dark  
energy enter the Prince's body; I still hear his screams echoing in my  
brain. Soul Captures are extremely painful, almost as painful as  
separating Winged magic from its bearer. I remember cringing and  
feeling my body invonlutarily begin to step towards him. It took all of  
my willpower to stop myself, and I was slowly losing that power. I was  
about to give in and run to help the poor Prince when his eyes opened  
and I knew that I was too late. His eyes were black pools and his soul  
had been lost. Forever.  
When he spoke I felt my brain pulsing behind my eyes, as though  
it would escape the sound and leave my head. I grabbed my temples and  
bent down with a gasp. I could not make out his words and when I tried  
my headache just got worse so I gave it up. I still could not get up,  
however, so I sat there and waited as the Darkness spoke to Beryl.  
Although I could not understand them, I felt uneasiness in Beryl's  
voice. Her voice was not painful to my ears, but I still could not  
concentrate on her words - my mind was still in pain from listening to  
the Darkness. But she was not happy, and she was nervous. This  
surprised me since I had no idea that Dark Mages experienced that sort  
of feeling, in fact their cockiness became their downfall in most  
cases. The Darkness did not seem nervous, and I think that it assuaged  
Beryl's fears. In any case, the two left the room a little later and I  
sat with my head in my hands, taking huge breaths of air for at least  
five minutes after they left. When I felt that I was finally ready to  
get up, another surprise hit me and made me fall back down on the  
floor, though not in pain. The Hito had grabbed hold of my mind.  
  
  
When I was younger I had been assigned Kunzite as my bodyguard  
and protector. Slowly, over the years, the other Hito gathered on Earth  
and began their training there. I had no idea that they were the Hito  
until many years later, when I had left Earth and had been travelling  
with Beryl for at least two years. It came as no shock to me, however,  
because I had always felt their connection. I did not know they were as  
powerful as all that, but I knew that the four of them were special in  
some way or another. In either case, Kunzite and I had known each other  
since we were both five years old. Because of that, we had grown up  
with a special connection of our own. I could read his thoughts as he  
could mine. We used to speak to each other from far away to play tricks  
on the palace staff and got into more trouble than I care to remember.  
I have no idea how we were tolerated, but we were happy children and  
the staff spoiled us and laughed at our antics when we were not around.  
Zoicite, the Mirai, arrived when I was eight. I still remember  
my parents' surprise when he arrived and Kunzite and I immediately took  
him under our wing. The three of us were seen everywhere together.  
Later I found out that Zoicite had been such a surprise to my parents  
because they had had no prior knowledge of his arrival. Zoicite was  
not from the Sol System, he came from the Ygran System, a galaxy so far  
away that there were no maps marking its existence. Zoicite took six  
years to arrive on Earth, he had known he was needed there when he was  
only two years old.  
The next to arrive was Jadeite, the Kuji. He came from the  
Benabair System. It was not far enough away that we had never heard of  
it, but it was strange enough that my parents received quite another  
shock when he joined our little group. This happened when I was twelve.  
Jadeite had not come for the same reason as Zoicite, who could see the  
future, but because he had seen the past and knew of his past life. He  
knew that he was a Kuji and so he went out looking for the Hito and  
stumbled upon the Earth by luck. He had been travelling for two years  
and was happy to find the ones he had been searching for. Because of  
his Gift, Jadeite remembered Kunzite and Zoicite from centuries ago,  
when they were named something else and when they were not all together  
at once. The Hito had never congregated in one place, but Jadeite had  
met the other three at separate times in his past lives. He knew more  
about them than any of the others. He was quickly incorporated into our  
little group and the four of us were inseparable.  
However, I knew there was something wrong. Although we were all  
extremely close and would protect each other's lives, if ever the need  
arose, I knew that they were keeping something from me. I did not mind,  
though, because I knew there must be some reason for their secrecy. I  
knew that they would tell me, sooner or later. So I kept to myself and  
pretended not to notice the shared glances and the tenseness.  
As close as I ever got to Zoicite and Jadeite, my connection  
with Kunzite was never reciprocated by the other two. I knew that and  
they knew that. I noticed that Kunzite could speak to Zoicite and  
Jadeite and so he became a sort of mediator between us. When I found  
out later that Kunzite was a Garandou, I almost laughed. It had been so  
obvious that I wondered why I had never thought of it myself.  
Nephrite, the Douji, did not arrive until we were all eighteen.  
I was surprised, but the other three had been waiting for him for a  
long time. I knew then that he was the missing piece, the problem that  
I had always sensed but had never mentioned. The four were perfect  
together and I sensed this keenly. Soon after Nephrite arrived I  
married Beryl of Elandia and left Earth. We never got close, but I was  
his friend because the others were his friend. Looking back, I'm glad I  
left when I did. If I hadn't the Hito could never have formed. The four  
of them, especially Kunzite, were always afraid of making me feel left  
out and that was not good for the Hito. My presence was a burden to  
them. Even now, years later, the four of them deny this fervently, but  
I know it's true. Because I left, the four of them were able to achieve  
the closeness they needed to meld together and finally become the first  
Hito in the universe.  
Kunzite and I left off talking to one another after I left and  
I know that we both missed it. So it was like welcoming an old friend  
when I felt his presence enter my mind and take me with him into the  
Past, Present and Future.  
  
  
What I learned during those minutes with the Hito is still not  
clear. I understood it all as I was accompanying them, but if I try to  
think about specifics, they escape me as though they are laughing at  
me. I know this is because I'm not one of the Hito, and so I am unable  
to store the information as well as they are. I don't have the training  
nor do I have the capability to do so. Nevertheless, I can still recall  
the overall story they were trying to tell me.  
  
  
As I followed Kunzite through his mind, I saw that Nephrite,  
Zoicite and Jadeite had joined us. I looked at them as we stopped at  
some point in time. When I was with the Hito it did not matter where I  
was, only when I was. It was a very difficult thing for me to  
comprehend, but I took it in very quickly. My problem now is with  
remembering the understanding that I experienced during those moments.  
I can't remember the details of what they were trying to tell me, but I  
remember seeing Kunzite's face and noticing that his eyes, instead of  
changing colors all the time as I was used to seeing, was now three  
different colors all at once. Each of his eyes had a third of a color  
in them. I sat and stared, mesmerized, until I noticed that they were  
laughing at me. I shook my head and smiled, trying to pay attention to  
his words.  
Eons ago, when the Universe was first made, Light and Dark were  
equal, making it impossible for one to conquer the other. This went on  
for millenia until, as though a glitch occurred in space, the Ryuu was  
born. He was a creature of balance and goodness, but one that walked a  
fine line. Because his goodness was greater than his evilness, the  
Dragon would naturally have certain bouts of madness, making the Ryuu  
angry and filling the Darkness with energy. This would keep the balance  
between Light and Dark for many more millenia.  
That was when Kouryou met the Ryuu. While Kunzite was telling  
me this, I could see images flitting through his eyes, and I would  
accompany them, as though watching a moving picture. I don't remember  
many of these images, but the one that stuck with me is the image of a  
young girl. I cannot rid myself of this image, and think about it all  
the time.  
A girl with wide eyes, eyes that remind me of Serena's, stare  
into my own. However, her eyes are a brilliant green. Her hair is a  
dark auburn red, it flows in the wind, and looks as though it would  
catch on fire and fly away if it could. Her face is heart-shaped and  
her cheekbones are high and proud, as though they are far too proud for  
her body; her features are sharp and soft at the same time. As I watch  
a young woman with moccha colored skin and velvet black eyes comes up  
behind the girl and throws her arms around her, as though she would  
protect her from the world. The girl reaches up and grabs the woman's  
arms, at the same time looking up and laughing merrily.  
I do not remember anything else after that, the image changed  
and Kunzite went on talking as I attempted to follow the story. I know  
that Kunzite explained to me why the Light and the Dark fell out of  
balance, but I cannot remember it. I think I'm not meant to know. But  
in any case, Light and Dark became separate entities that were at war  
with each other at all times. From that war Mages were born. Mages were  
made to keep the Balance. A Mage walks the line between Good and Evil.  
A Mage keeps the Universe in balance.  
But then the firt Dark Mage was born. Once that happened,  
Lightness started to fail and Darkness began to prevail. But because  
Light and Dark are entities that do not know time nor space, when this  
happened it began to spread during every different time span: Past,  
present, and future.  
The Darkness grew and grew, becoming the large mass of black  
energy that Kou and Hou encountered. Kunzite told me that Prince Rupert  
was going to kill Hou and Kou if I did not go to them and that if the  
Darkness were to win this the entire universe would be lost.  
As I was trying to process this information a tall woman with  
dark green hair appeared in front of us. I recognized Princess Setsuna  
Chares immediately. She was dressed as Sailor Pluto, and she held her  
Time Staff in her right hand. Her voice echoed in this place and I at  
once knew that she was a lot more powerful than she would have the rest  
of the universe know.  
She looked at me and told me that not only would this universe  
be destroyed, all the parallel universes were being destroyed. Until  
that point, I had never heard of parallel universes, but since the  
daughter of Chronus told me that, I knew that it must be true. She told  
me that the lost equilibrium between Light and Dark in this universe  
was upsetting the equilibrium in all universes, and the time-space  
continuum was meeting in places where they shouldn't be meeting.  
"You must hurry, Prince of Earth. You must meet the Houou once  
again, or we are all lost." As I heard her words, I was thrust out of  
Kunzite's mind and found myself once again on the floor, blinking hard.  
  
  
The next thing I remember, I was running into the throne room  
and reaching out to Hou, who grabbed my hand instinctively and thus had  
his world thrown off its axis. As soon as I found Hou's hand in mine I  
felt the fire of the Houou spread in my veins and I could hear its  
Song echo in my brain. I was so joyous I wanted to laugh. And it was in  
that moment that I regained all of Hou's memories from the last ten  
years that we had been separated. I walked with him through all the  
corridors of his mind, living through his triumphs and failures and  
slowly gaining the knowledge of being a High Mage and, more  
importantly, of being the Zen'youkuhikouki.  
At the same time, Hou's mind melded with mine and we became one  
person. It's difficult to explain to others how exactly this worked, I  
myself can't understand it fully. All I know is that whatever Hou felt,  
I felt, and vice versa. There was no Hou and Darien. There was only us.  
And we were Hou when the Houou ran wild through us, and Darien when the  
cooling Earth magic calmed us. And then there was no us. There was only  
I. Prince Darien Endymion of Earth. High Mage Hou. And suddenly I knew  
how Serena and Kou coexisted. How they were the same person and yet  
they were two different beings who lived in one body.  
And then I became Hou and I lended my strength to my love, who  
took my hand in surprise. And the rest is history.  
  
  
I wake up in the morning, rested and yet restless. I open my  
eyes and see blue orbs staring into my own.  
"Good morning, sleepy head."  
I smile and pull her against me, kissing her my good morning.  
"Dreams again?" Her eyes flicker with sadness for a second as  
she becomes worried for me.  
"Yes, but nothing too bad." I wait until all worries leave her  
eyes before I smile. "It has been too long for them to worry me now."  
She sighs and rests her forehead against mine. "It's been five  
hundred years, my darling."  
Sometimes I forget it's been so long. I nod and lose myself in  
my thoughts when I feel her start to get up. I tighten my hold on her.  
"And where do you think you're going?"  
"I must see my mother before she leaves, you know that. I only  
have five more months with her." And the sadness comes back in her eyes  
as I hold her even tighter against me.  
"She won't be completly gone, you know. And we'll have a little  
one of our own to care for." I put my hand against her slightly swelled  
belly and imagine myself holding my daughter close to me. I knew it  
would be a daughter, a Lunarian Queen's first born was always a  
daughter.  
Serena blinks away a tear and smiles at me. "Yes, I know. And  
she'll have plenty of friends." I know she's referring to the little  
Planetarian Princesses and Princes who had been coming along for the  
last five years or so.  
"Yes, she will. And she will remember your Mother. She always  
will."  
"I know." She whispers to me.  
I hold her for a while longer and play with her golden hair  
that is slowly becoming silvery white as our daughter's birth date  
approaches.  
As we sit there and think of our daughter, the Houou comes to  
us unexpectedly and my hair and eyes turn red as Serena's hair turns  
the vibrant gold it is when she is Kou. We look at each other and kiss  
as the Houou sings us its approval. I am finally happy.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Do you want an epilogue? Did you love The Mage Princess? Did you hate  
it? Let me know! E-mail me at cfmc@uclink.berkeley.edu with your  
thoughts! 


	8. Epilogue

Yes, I have FINALLY written an Epilogue to The Mage Princess since most  
  
people requested it. As for writing a scene after the end of Chapter 5,  
  
well, that might happen sometime later but nothing is settled yet.  
  
Remember that this epilogue is sort of like a prologue for the next  
  
story. So it might be a little confusing... though hopefully not too  
  
much so. ~.^ Let me know what you think!  
  
A few disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon... if I did I would be  
  
publishing these stories because I would have enough money to do so...  
  
I'm also an extremely poor college student who has to rely on her  
  
scholarship to pay off the registration fees so don't sue me... you'll  
  
get nothing out of it! One more thing: Washi is my character... Hou is  
  
also my character and I guess that Kou is my character too since she is  
  
so very different from Serenity ne? ~.^ Anyway I made all of them up so  
  
don't steal any of them, okie? ^^  
  
New disclaimer: Yuufu, Narcissus, Ohamu, and Abura Kakyuu are also my  
  
characters. No stealing!  
  
New new disclaimer: Prince Rupert Heron is my character as well! I  
  
ask for a lot, huh? ^__^  
  
New new new disclaimer: Gosh there's a lot! The Ryuu, Kouryou, and Taka  
  
are also mine!  
  
I guess it's on with the story!  
  
The Mage Princess  
  
EPILOGUE  
  
By: Sailor Berkeley  
  
* * ~ ~ Serena ~ ~ * *  
  
My mind screams out loudly from the latest contraction. I have  
  
not yet vocally expressed the pain but the mental anguish has touched  
  
more than one person in the room, as is plainly obvious by the winces  
  
that follow each of my contractions.  
  
I look around the room as the contraction dies down, my hair  
  
plastered to my face and Darien's hands safely holding my own. His eyes  
  
are worried as are the eyes of my mother and the two doctors present in  
  
the room.  
  
I have been in labor for eleven hours now with no signs of the  
  
baby appearing. This is highly unusual for Lunatians, who usually have  
  
very easy labors. My mother claims I was born in only two hours. I'm  
  
getting worried as well but thoughts cannot formulate in my head as  
  
another contraction comes upon me and my brow furrows in pain once  
  
more.  
  
* * ~ ~ Darien ~ ~ * *  
  
As Serena's mind screams out once more and the Houou, as well  
  
as I, attempt to soothe her pain, I try to figure out what to do.  
  
Her pain hurts me more than any physical pain I could stand. As I  
  
brush silver hair off of her forehead, wondering at the same time what  
  
in the world could be done, the door opens suddenly and High Mage Washi  
  
strides in, his pink-tinged hair flowing behind him.  
  
At this point I stand up, ridding myself of my princely clothes  
  
and addorning the Mage robes I often wear as my hair and eyes turn as  
  
red as Phoenix fire.  
  
He looks at me and nods in acknowledgement.  
  
"Zen'yokuhikouki." He then looks directly at Serena, who cannot  
  
manage even the simple act of becoming Kou as all her concentration  
  
and strength are going into our child. "Princess Serenity. Queen  
  
Serenity." The Queen barely acknowledges him, her pale face entranced  
  
by her daughter's suffering.  
  
He sits down next to Serena on the bed and takes her other  
  
hand. "I have heard your mental call. As has any and all Mages in  
  
neighboring galaxies, I believe you may have even reached Benabair with  
  
that, um, call." A small smile threatened to break the worry in his  
  
eyes, but didn't quite reach it. "I believe the problem lies with the  
  
child."  
  
I look straight at Washi, trying to understand his meaning.  
  
Serena's mental voice, hoarse from screaming, reaches my mind with a  
  
question.  
  
"We do not understand, Washi. How can a simple child do this?  
  
The doctors claim that she has turned, everything is fine physically.  
  
It is puzzling, we agree, since there is nothing obstructing the babe  
  
from coming out." I stop as the answer somehow comes to me. "Are you  
  
suggesting that she does not want to come out?"  
  
Washi's nod makes my heart squeeze.  
  
"How is that possible? She cannot have any understanding of  
  
this. Can she?" My voice cracks at that question and I wonder if that's  
  
really possible. "Mage babies, if she indeed will become a Mage, do not  
  
develop any type of telepathic ability until at least the age of six.  
  
It is unheard of for a mere infant to pick up on any type of psychic  
  
wavelength."  
  
"Nevertheless, I believe that's what's happening right now. I  
  
believe that her Winged Magic has already been awakened, that the girl  
  
child is aware of the Magic and has been conversing with it for some  
  
time now."  
  
I look at him in disbelief. What he is proposing is  
  
preposterous.  
  
'I think he is right, my love.' I look down at Serena and she  
  
looks up at me as her mental voice reaches out to me. 'I believe she  
  
knows she is coming out into a cruel world where she won't be protected  
  
by her mother's warm body. We... we need to talk to her.'  
  
Washi nods at me in agreeance and I sigh. Even though this  
  
makes absolutely no sense to me, I close my eyes and reach out to the  
  
Houou who sings out to me with a shrill note. I caress his beak and  
  
whisper in his ear to find my daughter's Wings.  
  
The Houou spreads his fiery wings and flies off into the night  
  
with me right behind him. We reach a furnace, an area of liquid lava  
  
and I shiver despite the heat. Is this the environment my daughter has  
  
been in for the past few months?  
  
As we fly above this lava-filled world, the Houou and I reach  
  
an island in the middle of it. As we step onto the hot earth I realize  
  
that it's made out of black coal. Almost contrary to its nature, the  
  
island is covered with green moss. A few green shoots surround us and  
  
I'm enthralled by the complexity of a mind so young.  
  
The place where Winged Magic's rests inside the Mage is of the  
  
Mage's own doing. This place had come from the mind of my unborn  
  
child.  
  
As I get over my inital shock, I notice that there is a rather  
  
large green boulder in the middle of the island. I walk up to it slowly  
  
and slowly reach out my hand to touch it. Before I can get near it,  
  
however, a long neck worms its way around and a large head looms before  
  
me faster than I can blink.  
  
The dragon, for it is indeed a dragon, grins at me, his sharp  
  
silver teeth twinkling at me. His eyes are as red as mine and his body  
  
as green as an emerald. The horns which sprout from each side of his  
  
head, as well as the third one in the middle, are made out of silver  
  
and look as sharp as the teeth I am currently staring at.  
  
He quickly looks over to my right and I notice that Kou, even  
  
though she must be exhausted, is standing there with Washi supporting  
  
her.  
  
The dragon hisses and opens his mouth, fire dripping from his  
  
jaw as he sees the other intruders.  
  
"Sssssso. The prodigal parentssss finally decide to show up."  
  
I cannot imagine why his voice sounds so familiar, but it does. I feel  
  
like I have met him before.  
  
I frown at him and notice for the first time that he is gently  
  
holding in his claws my baby girl.  
  
"What do you mean by keeping my daughter from us, Ryuu?" As I  
  
say it, I know it for truth. My daughter is the next Dragon. The one  
  
and only Dragon since the time of the One Winged Magic. I shudder as  
  
the words come out.  
  
"Ah. You impresssss me Mage. I did not think I would be  
  
remembered assss such. Of coursssssse you have the advantage of having  
  
sssseen me recently, have you not?"  
  
I frown at his words and suddenly realize why he sounds so  
  
familiar. He was the one I met, the one who helped me break out of  
  
Beryl's spell before I married her. He had tried to tell me then that  
  
I would father the next Dragon but I had not noticed it then.  
  
Kou's voice, though tired and worn, rings true and high from  
  
behind me. "You have not answered our question, Ryuu."  
  
The Dragon's eyes shift to look behind me. "I wasssss expecting  
  
you to come here a lot earlier. I am ssssorry to have caused you pain,  
  
Houou."  
  
I am surprised, because he really means it. He also called Kou  
  
by her Wings' name: Houou. I supposed that fit, one Winged Magic  
  
calling to another. Especially since the Ryuu had made the Houou a very  
  
long time ago.  
  
"I am ssssorry. I had forgotten it had been ssssso long. In  
  
olden timesss it wasss known when a Dragon wassss born. Parentssss  
  
alwayssss came to meet me. I would have forgone thissss except that I  
  
have a boon to asssk of you."  
  
"Ask it." Kou said, her voice becoming more faint.  
  
"The girl. Her name shall be Kouryou. Ssssee to it."  
  
With that he hands my daughter into Kou's arms and the next  
  
thing I know I am back in our room, holding Serena's hand as a baby's  
  
wail penetrates the air.  
  
Kouryou is born.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
That's all folks! ^_^ E-mail at b-chan@fanaticsmworld.com with your  
  
thoughts! 


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